


Nightwalkers

by CelestialNova27



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Blood, F/M, Gore, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Murder, Mystery, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-30
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 10:26:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 15
Words: 55,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22475581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CelestialNova27/pseuds/CelestialNova27
Summary: Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Cloud Strife, Reno/Yuffie Kisaragi, Tifa Lockhart/Vincent Valentine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 17





	1. Another Victim

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

"It's the same as the last five murders." The man sighs heavily and sits down on the small wooden chair that was next to his partner. The other man grabs the manila folder that his partner violently threw on the table minutes ago. A typical murder in Midgar, but the victim was another scumbag. The man preyed on small children and dead bodies for his personal, sexual enjoyment. For weeks, random people have been murdered in Midgar all with a disturbing background. The citizens of Midgar didn't know if they should mourn or rejoice.

"Should we just let this Gaia wannabe continue this massacre?"

The spiky-haired blond looks up at his partner. "Someone misses these people, no matter what they may have done in the past."

"Whatever you say, Mr. Do-the-Right-Thing." The darker man said as he rolled his eyes. "If some sicko is killing worse sickos so we can all see another day then why should we do anything about it?"

The blond swiftly stood up and the chair flew backwards. The blond's beautiful cerulean eyes pierces through his partner. "Barret, we joined the force to stop murderers, not let them get away!"

"Whoa whoa whoa! Don't get loud with me! It was just a thought!"

"What the hell is going on in here?"

The two angry men turned their heads to face the raven-haired man that just entered the room. "Nothing Captain Angeal" The blond responds through gritted teeth. He turned to Barret, who is staring intently at him. "Barret and I were just discussing the case."

"Well, get out here and examine this body." Angeal replies in a nasty tone. "I wanna be home in enough time for dinner."

Once Angeal was out of earshot, Cloud cut his eyes at Barret. "We'll continue this conversation another time, Barret."

"Whatever, Cloud. Let's just do what we gotta do so we can go home."

* * *

The wind ripples through the man's long, silver hair as he approached the back door of the apartment complex. He opens the back door with ease and proceeds to walk up the stairs to the fifth floor and down the hall to the last door on the right. The man knocks on the door three precise times and waited for a couple of moments before a pair of crimson eyes greets him. The red-eyed man steps aside, allowing the green-eyed man to enter his humble, yet simple, abode.

The red-eyed man closes the door and went into the kitchen. The silver-haired man sat comfortably on the couch and sat a metal briefcase on the coffee table in front of him. The raven-haired man came back with two glasses filled with red liquid.

"It's the usual" The raven-haired man said as he hands his guest the glass.

"Not surprised." The other man replies. "You're always so simple, Valentine, which is why I respect you a lot."

The two men hit their glasses together and the raved-haired man sat on the other couch that was across from where his guest is sitting.

"From what I've seen on the news, you left no traces." The silver-haired man said after he took a couple of sips of wine. "As usual, great work Vincent."

"That particular victim cried until his death. That was a first." Vincent replies as he took a sip of his wine. Begging and bargaining is typical during his kills, but tears from beginning to end is a first.

The silver-haired man snorts. "I kind of wish I was there to see that. Anyway, back to the original reason as to why I'm here, your pay is inside the briefcase." The silver-haired man points out the briefcase on the coffee table. "Take a break for a couple of days. I'll have another one for you next Monday. I still have to investigate before I assign you the scum."

"You know how to reach me whenever you find everything."

The man nods and continued to drink his wine. When he was finished, he sat his empty glass on the coffee table and went to the door. The raven-haired man is right behind him after he also finishes his wine and sat his glass down.

"Be prepared to travel." The silver-haired man says as he turns to face his raven-haired accomplice. "This one can't stay in one place for a long period of time."

The raven-haired man replies with a nod. "Sephiroth."

"Vincent." Sephiroth returns the nod before pivoting on his heels and leaving the apartment.

* * *

"Tifa Lockhart! Get your behind in the kitchen and grab your lunch so we can go! You're gonna make us late!"

"I'm coming, Papa!"

The young woman runs down the stairs, shoving a piece of toast in her mouth and putting on her right shoe at the same time. She grabs her lunch from the counter in the kitchen and went into the living room and snatches her purse. Her father came running down the stairs and into the living room.

"Do you have everything you need?" The woman nods and shoves the rest of her toast in her mouth. "Don't oversleep again, okay?"

"Sorry Papa. You know I'm studying really hard to get my Master's."

"Yeah, I know. C'mon, let's get going before we're both late for work."

The young woman smiles at her father and both of them left their home. Once they were inside Tifa's car, her father begins fumbling through the radio stations to tune into his usual station he listens to every morning.

"Detectives in Midgar found another victim that is linked to the other murders in Midgar. The people of Midgar are at a stalemate. Should they rejoice or be afraid? Whoever this serial killer is, he or she has ridden Midgar of its notorious criminals."

"I would be scared to live in Midgar." Tifa sorrowfully says as she continued to listen to the radio host.

"I wonder what the police are doing about this." Papa spoke. "It makes you wonder who is in charge of hiring people at the police department. It doesn't matter _why_ the murders are happening, but rather than _who_ is committing them and busting them so people can be at ease at all times."

"I hope nothing like that happens here."

"Nibelheim is a quiet town so I doubt."

"I don't know about that, Papa. A quiet town is usually where serial killers are born."

"Thank you for creeping me out before my shift."

Tifa giggles. "Sorry."

Tifa arrives at her father's job shortly after the radio host took a break. She kisses her Papa good-bye on the cheek. The elder man returns the gesture, grabs his lunch, and heads inside the factory. Tifa gave her usual wave to her father and drove towards the youth center where she currently works at.


	2. New Rules & Despair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

Photographs of the newest victims are scattered on the whiteboard in front of Cloud. He roughly run his fingers through his hair. He wants to scream and give up, but he knew he couldn't. Staying overnight in hopes of coming up with some sort of conclusion as to why this murderer do what he or she do, he is still in the same spot: square one. The pen that was once in his hand has now occupied a small corner in his office along with a small, yellow pad.

"Don't tell me you've been here all night."

A woman's soft, scolding voice rings in his ears. He turns around and accepts the coffee from the woman's hand. "You've caught me, Aeris."

She sighs. "I don't know what to do with you sometimes. Why don't you go home and get some sleep? I'll try to figure this out."

"This case belongs to me and Barret."

"True, however, I wanna put this to rest as well and considering Barret has taken the day off, I'm sure one person can't solve this matter."

There's no point in fighting the sweet-sounding brunette. Cloud sighs and gets up from his seat. "Have it your way then. If you find out something, call me."

"I can't guarantee that, but we'll see." She shoves out her tongue.

He couldn't help but chuckle a little. Maybe some sleep would do him some good.

* * *

"Now I know I've told all of you to take a break, but we need to establish a few new rules."

Sephiroth's viscous-like voice is as heavy as his stare at the men and woman in front of him. A red-haired man with a mag rod in his left hand, a man with long raven hair, and a woman with short raven hair all stares at Sephiroth, patiently waiting for their instructions.

"The deeds are done perfectly but they've attracted attention. Therefore, we must dispose the bodies."

"You mean like…dismember them?" The short, raven-haired woman questions.

"Not necessarily Yuffie, but we need to make the bodies disappear."

"The feds have never caught us before so why worry about it?" The redhead questions as he threw his feet on the table.

"Weren't you listening to what I just said, Reno?" Sephiroth glares.

"Yeah, but none of us has ever been caught." Reno shot back. "So what's the big deal?"

"Sephiroth has a point." Vincent spoke up, hoping to shut the red-haired man up. Out of the small, malicious group, Reno works on Vincent's nerves the most. Reno is a damn good killer; Vincent will give him that, but at times the young man was too much for Vincent's mellow character. "We'll attract too much attention, especially since all of our marks are outside of Midgar."

"Technically speaking, attention will always be drawn." Yuffie pipes in. "I mean, just think about it: murders randomly happening in Midgar now suddenly moved over to other areas such as Rocket Town, Nibelheim, and Costa del Sol. The police departments in each of those areas will automatically get suspicious."

"Yuffie and Vincent have valid points." Sephiroth stands up from his chair and glances out of the window that is behind him and turns toward the other occupants of the small room. "We have to make it seem like these people went missing. It's the only way we can make these murders happen without drawing attention."

"Not to mention we shouldn't kill our target as soon as we get to the area. Common sense isn't that common but there are some people that still have all their marbles."

"I wish one of those people were you, Reno."

Reno glares at Yuffie and she shoves her tongue out at the semi-ignorant man.

"Okay you two. Shut the hell up." Sephiroth scolds. "To make a long meeting short, relocate to your assigned areas, blend in well, learn you target's movements, and whatever you do, dispose the body. This shouldn't be a difficult task considering your kills are executed perfectly. An extra step won't kill you."

With Sephiroth's meeting dismissed, the trio left Sephiroth's office.

"Where are you two stationed?" Reno asked as the trio are walking toward their cars.

"Nibelheim, a little quiet town. We have to be extremely careful there." Yuffie replies. "What about you?"

"Costa del Sol. A resting place where every killer goes to. I heard they have some amazing strip clubs there."

"Reno, don't lose focus."

"Calm your tits, woman. I won't. I mean, I figured I'm gonna be there for a while hell I might as well enjoy the scene. I may stay there permanently."

Yuffie rolls her eyes as the redhead got inside of his car, turned the ignition on, and drove off. "If we ever fall, it'll be because of him."

"Not likely." Vincent replies. "He may be a bit over confident and an irritant, but he's efficient with killings."

Yuffie sighs. "So, have you gotten in contact with the realtor in Nibelheim?"

"Yes. Apparently there's a huge house that's located there that has been abandoned for years but it's still in good shape. It's the only house there that's available, but we would have to buy it."

"How big we're talking?"

"Six bedrooms, three baths, two study rooms, a living room, a dining room, a spacious kitchen, and a finished basement."

"Not bad." Yuffie yawns as she got in her car. "Be ready to hit the road at dawn tomorrow with your life packed. We have a big day ahead of us tomorrow."

Vincent nods and got inside of his car as well.

* * *

"Tyler, is there something you need to tell me?"

Tifa observes the young teenager that's sitting in front of her. It has been his fifth time being in her office this week. The teenager is a smart, bright young man, but Tifa suspects that there have been family issues at home. The young man isn't simply himself at school or at the youth center.

"There's nothing to discuss, Ms. Lockhart."

"Are you sure?" Tifa isn't the type to press an issue unless it was necessary. Seeing the young blond suffer and not seek help tears her heart. "Your classmates say you haven't been yourself, and I can see it. Your grades are declining, you don't show your handsome smile anymore, and you don't even play basketball when you're done with your homework here."

"Look Ms. Lockhart, I said I'm fine!"

Tifa is appalled that the young man snapped at her, but she didn't fall back. "You hear that anger inside of your voice? I hear it. Loud and clear. What caused that anger to be inside of you?"

The teen hesitates and bites his lips. He glances at the clock to see the time. He knows this meeting would be over soon. He glances at Tifa, who have a hopeful yet, patient expression on her face. He knew he could trust Tifa.

"I can't say much, Ms. Lockhart."

"Tell me what you can say then."

Tyler takes a deep breath. "Ms. Lockhart, I just buried my mother this past Saturday." Tifa gasps and her surprised expression made Tyler stop in mid-sentence. Her concern causes a tear to fall from his right eye. He quickly swipes away the tear and continued his story after swallowing away a large lump in his throat. "She committed suicide, and I'm having a hard time coping."

"How is your father holding up? Can you talk to him the same way you're talking to me?"

"Not really. He's going through a wave of depression and sorrow. My mother was his high school sweetheart, and for her to just give up on life like that…" He struggles to keep his sniffles under control. "It's so wrong. It's just so wrong, Ms. Lockhart."

Tifa's heart drops at the sight of Tyler's despair. She gets out of her chair and rushes over to him to give him a hug. She withdrew from the embrace and writes her name and phone number down on a piece of a paper and gives it to Tyler. "I want you to call me whenever you feel like talking. I'll help you as much as I can. I know I can't really help, but the least I can do is listen."

Tyler sniffles. "Thanks, Ms. Lockhart. Sorry for being mean to you earlier." He glances at the clock. "I have to go home now and finish my homework. See you next week, Ms. Lockhart."

"You're not coming back for the rest of the week?"

"I just don't want to deal with people for a few days."

Tifa nods and waves for Tyler to leave her office. Tyler grabs his backpack and leaves her office, feeling a little better, but the void in his heart is still there. Glancing at her watch, Tifa hurriedly grabs her purse and keys and leaves the building in a rush. If she's late picking up her Papa, he would give her a good scolding.


	3. The Move

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

Setting down the mug for the umpteenth time that morning, Cloud lazily stares at the information he has in front of him. There's literally nothing to go on. Not a trail, no reoccurring thing besides the victim's past, nothing. He is at a stalemate, he's aware of that, but it didn't stop him from bringing this person to justice. Taking another sip of coffee, Cloud sits the mug down and begins to study some more.

"You need to give this case a rest and enjoy your day off for once."

Cloud glances at Aeris, who walks to the refrigerator to pour herself a glass of orange juice. She closes the door and gives the blond a small smile. "Let's take a vacation."

"Aeris, there's no time for that." His monotone voice is a little harsher than usual but it wasn't intended. "I have to solve this case."

"You'll never be able to solve it if you continue to behave like this." She slightly snaps back. "I'm not saying drop it completely. All I'm saying is that we take a break from it. When we come back home, you'll have a fresh mind, and you never know, you may get some new information right off the bat."

Knowing that he isn't going to win this battle, Cloud mentally gives in, but he wants to work on the case for a while before he goes away. "Give me a few more weeks to work, and we can leave."

"What's 'a few more weeks'?"

"Eight."

"Absolutely not!" She replies in a baffled tone. "Four weeks."

"Six."

She sighs loudly in an apparent irritated voice. Cloud is a great debater, and there is no point in convincing the blond to take less time away from the case. She's lucky to even get him to go on vacation with her. "Fine." She finally speaks, feeling defeated. "I give you six weeks of more grueling, intense work on the case; you give me two weeks and two vacation spots."

"Done." His eyes never leaving the paperwork in front of him.

Aeris leaves Cloud to his thoughts as he continues to stare at the whiteboard in front of him. The brunette woman pulls out her phone from her front pocket and gives one of her coworkers a smile as she walks by.

"Hey there." Her voice is as sweet as honey as her smile transforms into a grin. "I called to give you an update."

* * *

"Are there any other questions?" The soft-spoken realtor spoke after giving Yuffie and Vincent a tour of their newly purchased home.

"No I think that will be all." Yuffie replies happily and dashes into the home without giving the realtor a chance to speak again.

The woman smiles and looks back at Vincent, who as usual, had an expressionless face. The woman thought his eyes screamed bloody murder whenever she gazed at them. "Is there anything I can get you, Mr. Valentine?"

Vincent heard how alluring the woman's voice has gotten. She approaches him and begins to rub his chest. It has been a while since he had released such tensions, but Vincent is the type of man that didn't seek it. Instead, it comes to him. It may seem conceited on Vincent's part, but it's the truth.

"No thank you." His response is irritated. The relator knew nothing about Vincent other than he has a lot of money and his first and last name. The woman's actions are one of the many reasons why he remains single. Well, that and the fact that he's part of a murderous group. The raven-haired man feels like women nowadays just throw themselves at any man. He wanted a solid woman, not a loose woman. This woman didn't know anything about him, aside from his home purchase and name, and she was already trying to bed him. Maybe that's why she is trying to seduce him; his money. She's barking up the wrong tree, and she isn't aware of it. Beautiful lady, but Vincent isn't interested. Not in the slightest. The thought irritates Vincent further.

The woman laughs. She went into her portfolio book and scribbles her name and number on the pad, tore the paper, and gives it to Vincent. "Whenever you change your mind, let me know. Be sure _she_ doesn't know."

He assumes ' _she_ ' is Yuffie, but didn't ponder too much about it. The woman winks and walks away, making sure she put extra sway into her hips.

"Maybe she'll consider giving us a discount if you fuck her."

Vincent rolls his eyes, which causes Yuffie to laugh. "At least she's smart. Well, book smart at least."

"I don't sleep with every woman I come into contact with."

"I know you don't because we've never slept with each other."

Yuffie slaps her knee and went into a frenzy of giggles as Vincent walks by with a glare on his face. "Oh come on now, Vincent! It was right there!"

Ignoring the giggling woman behind him, Vincent went to the second floor of his newly-bought home to unpack his personal belongings when he reaches his bedroom. This is a big house and maybe he could finally consider this a home once he gets more settle in. It really bothers him that he has to move from place to place to because of his lifestyle. It's a life he chooses, but he still got a little down whenever he thinks about how he never settles into an area on a more permanent basis. As he begins to go through his things, he comes across a photo of him and his dad.

He takes a long, hard look at the photo as he sits down on one of his boxes. He strokes his father's smiling face. He misses the days with his father. He was the first person to accept Vincent for who he is, but now his father is long gone, along with his mother. He misses her dearly as well. Vincent let out a sigh, places the photo back inside the box, and continued to unpack as tender memories of his parents percolate his mind.

* * *

Papa is in the kitchen tapping his finger vigorously on the fridge door. Tifa hasn't finished studying yet so he decides to fix something for dinner that night. Only one problem: he doesn't know how to cook. His late wife never read from a cookbook. She was the type of woman to experiment with food, and naturally, Tifa got her skills from her. Papa considered buying a cookbook a few weeks back in case situations like now arises. Guess he should've listened to his past self.

"Papa, you're letting out the cool air from the fridge."

"Please tell me you're done studying." He didn't mean to sound so desperate but he couldn't help it.

Tifa giggles at Papa's tone, sensing desperation in his voice. "You act as if you've never eaten before! Yes, I'm done studying, but I don't feel like cooking. How about we make a small trip to Rocket Town and try that Italian restaurant you've been talking about for the past month?"

Pap runs upstairs and moments later, Tifa heard water from the bathroom sink running.

"I'll take that as a yes."

* * *

After all the furniture was placed and all the unpacking was done, Vincent and Yuffie took their naps and woke up hungry. Yuffie is in her private bathroom putting the finishing touches on her outfit, which consists of a large, black chocker with an all red, strapless dress and matching black pumps to go along with it. The decision to go out and eat was unanimous. Besides, they were worn out from all the activities that were done earlier that day.

"Are you ready?"

Yuffie turns her head and immediately smells Vincent's strong, yet intoxicating scent. His hair is tied back, much to Yuffie's surprise, and he has on a red button-up shirt with a black tie and matching dress slacks. Yuffie whistles.

"Baby can I have your phone number?" He laughs a little. It's rare to see Vincent smile. Yuffie often wishes he did it more often. Such a beautiful laugh and smile should be shared to the world, not often concealed by an imaginary mask. "It's good to see you laugh, even if it's a little."

She checks her image one more time before turning off the light and exiting her bathroom. "You're wearing contacts?" Vincent's eyes were now hazel. It's hard to hide his natural eye color, and in the past, he'd discover that hazel was the best choice to use when using contacts. It doesn't conceal his natural eye color completely but it does give a more burgundy shade.

"Part of a disguise, so to speak." Vincent replies as the two walks down the hallway and down the main entrance's stairs to exit the home. "If anyone saw my eyes in its normal state, it would raise suspicion."

"I see your point. Midgar was different because of the population, but a small town like Nibelheim would probably feel uneasy. I'm sure the whole town is aware we're their new neighbors considering how small this town is."

Vincent agrees with a small nod and opens the door and allows Yuffie to go through it first. They decide to take Vincent's car. Once the two were strapped in their seatbelts comfortably, Vincent carefully pulls out of the driveway and heads to Rocket Town.

* * *

Just because the term town is used to describe Rocket Town, that doesn't mean it's actually a town. It's the closest thing to a city Nibelheim folks have. Junon and Gold Saucer are more of a city but those places are more of a vacation spot, along with Costa del Sol. _Italio_ shined in a bright red lettering as customers were coming and going inside the restaurant. Tifa and Papa enters, smiles were instantly plasters on their faces at the sight. People were chatting away at the square tables. Some were a party of two while there were others that's a party of three and four. Several televisions were mounted on the back wall of the bar area, which is the size of an actual bar. On one half of the bar, there were men watching a football game. Every now and then, they would yell and high five one another, but the bartenders would come around and tell them lower their voices. The other half of the bar have patrons enjoying a glass of wine or some scotch. The restaurant isn't five star, but it's damn near close to a five star restaurant. It's a good thing that Papa ranted about this place in the past. Tifa is already starting to warm up to it.

A brunette waitress greets them with a warm smile, grabs two menus, and walks them over to a booth that is against the window. The waitress excuses herself to allow Papa and Tifa some time to order.

"This is a really nice place." Papa awes as he observed the restaurant. He makes an audible gasp at the old-fashioned pasta maker that's incased in glass on the other end of the restaurant near the restroom. Seeing old, valuable items from years ago always make Papa giddy like a child in a game store.

"I'm glad you talked my ear off about it." Tifa agrees. "Let's see if the food here is good."

After scanning the menu for ten minutes, Papa and Tifa finally places their orders and the waitress left.

"It's good to finally leave Nibelheim, ya know?" Tifa says after she took a swig of her water.

"Yeah. We should do this more often. How are your classes coming along?"

"Good. I have to turn in my research paper tomorrow about the Wutai War. It was very simple to be honest because of all that had happened during that war."

Papa nods his head. He is surprised by the next couple that walks inside the restaurant. "You don't see too many Wutainese people outside of Wutai."

Tifa strains her neck and attention in the direction Papa is looking. A Wutainese couple just walked in and the woman received several looks from the men that were around. The man is tall and thin but has a muscular built with his hair pulled back.

"I thought Wutainese men were possessive of their women." Tifa observes how the man seems unfazed by the perverted stares the woman is recieving. "I guess that's a horrible stereotype. That or he isn't intimidated by other men."

The food arrives before she could pry into the situation any further.

* * *

Yuffie and Vincent sat at a table that is across a young woman and an older man, who appears to be her father. Vincent notices the young woman looking at him and Yuffie strangely. The waitress gives the deadly duo their menus and walks away to give them time to think about what they want to order. Immediately, they went into killer mode and observed their surroundings. There were beautiful women dressed elegantly along with men who dressed the same as well. There were some men in the winery area next to the bar and there was a lot of traffic near the ladies' restroom. To say that Yuffie received stares from a lot of men in the restaurant was an understatement; more like she received a lot of stares from drooling men who appeared they haven't been laid in months.

Their waitress came back five minutes later and the two places their orders. "I'm going to canvass the ladies' room." Yuffie says once the waitress is out of earshot.

Vincent simply nods and Yuffie got up from the table. He gently places the contact lens in his left eye back in place. He couldn't wait to get the irritants out of his eyes when he got home. As Vincent sips his water, he notices the young brunette across from his table would glance at him every now and then. She's an attractive woman. Her shoulder length brunette hair adorned her quite nicely. Whenever the man across her would say something funny, her smile is bright, showing off her perfectly white teeth. Vincent looks away from the beautiful woman and shoot a glance at the entrance. A smirk begins to creep onto his face. His target is walking with a blonde-haired woman. They were greeted by a waitress and the woman guided them to the winery area. Yuffie returns as the target and his woman were being seated.

"Look at the winery."

Yuffie looks at the winery and smiles. "Well, well, well. Looks like Genesis Rhapsodos is in the building along with Elena Ramado."

"Elena Ramado?" Vincent questions.

"A woman who's associated with Genesis. I believe she's one of Genesis's many women but she's a main, I think."

Vincent nods, not taking his eyes away from the couple as they began conversing with one another. Vincent glances at Yuffie, who nods in response to his expression. Vincent got up and walks towards the winery while Yuffie hung back. She flips her hair and smiles at the right moment; Genesis looks her way and smiles at the woman who's looking at him. He greets her with a bright smile, showing all of his pearly, white teeth. Vincent walks past the couple and Elena stole a glance at Vincent. Vincent knows he's being watched and that's reassurance that things were in his favor. He orders a bottle of red wine and gave the bartender the money before she disappeared into the back to grab his wine. Vincent has his back against the stand and pretends to observe the locals, but he's really observing Genesis and Elena. In a few short seconds of being in the winery, he could tell there were no romantic feelings between Genesis and Elena. The way they both diverted their attention to patrons were expected by Vincent.

Vincent could only speculate that Elena is Genesis's accomplice, and that they were in Rocket Town looking for someone poor, unfortunate soul. From what Sephiroth could gather on Genesis, the fiery-haired man is a sex fiend. He likes it any and every way. So it shouldn't have been a surprise that he has a female accomplice. They probably had sex on several occasions or even worse; she participated with Genesis. Though Genesis never resorted to murder, at least as far as Sephiroth could tell, Vincent knows it's only a matter of time before Genesis would. All it would take is someone to stand up for themselves and deny the sex-crazed maniac.

Vincent propping himself on the bar is just a ploy. He wants to see if he could get a rise out of the duo, Elena more specifically, and it worked. Vincent couldn't help but internally snort at the pathetic pair to his right. They were obvious, sloppy, and recognizable. Their hunting methods were beyond atrocious. Their eyes hungrily danced as patrons came and went. Vincent and Yuffie could end these clowns now, but he refrains from any movements. He honestly didn't expect to see Genesis tonight, and seeing him in action, it'll be an easy feat to kill him, and possibly Elena as well.

The bartender comes back with Vincent's wine minutes later. He thanks her and proceeds back to his table with Yuffie. The waitress just delivered the food as he sits down.

"Did you order that?" Vincent asked as he points to the alcoholic beverage that Yuffie is slowly consuming.

"Our red-haired rapist bought it."

Vincent nods and begins to eat his food. Yuffie winks at Genesis before digging into her food. Genesis smiles and diverts his attention away from Yuffie. Unbeknownst to him, Yuffie is a deadly woman, and even if she wasn't, she isn't the type of woman to jump for joy when a man did a simple gesture. The fact that he made such a bold move in front of Elena told the short haired-raven woman that there's no romantic feelings between the two. Whatever is going on between them, it's strictly for pleasure but more in a business like way. Maybe Vincent and Yuffie could separate them and off one of them slowly, perhaps resulting to torture. Yuffie smiles devishly as she thought of several ways to make them squeal, especially Genesis.

* * *

"I can't believe what I'm seeing." Tifa murmurs softly to herself.

"Hm?"

She turns to her Papa, who has a concerned look on his face.

"It's nothing, Papa." Tifa waves her hand. "I'm kind of full. Let's get some carriers and go home."

Papa agrees and Tifa mentally thanked Gaia that he didn't press the matter. They grabbed their to-go containers, paid for the food, and left the restaurant. Tifa wants to believe her eyes were deceiving her, but she knew they weren't.


	4. Stopping Them

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

"Ms. Lockhart, what's wrong with you?"

"Huh?"

The young brunette hadn't realized that she was daydreaming. Since encountering the red-haired man a few nights ago at the restaurant in Rocket Town, her mind has been swimming with unanswered questions. Tyler is still coping with the loss his mother, but he's coming around. As he promised Tifa, he has been performing up to his best ability in classes and even started participating at the youth center more.

"What's wrong with you?" The young man repeats again.

"Oh I'm sorry, Tyler." Tifa replies weakly. "I was just thinking about some things." She shuffles a few papers on her desk before continuing the conversation. "So, how's everything at home?"

"My dad has been more social since our last meeting."

"Social? Care to elaborate a little more?"

"Well, he goes out at least once every weekend and doesn't come back home until early the next morning."

"You sound disappointed by his sudden change in actions." Tifa notes.

Tyler hung his head slightly. "A little. I expected him to cope longer."

"Hm. Some people cope in different ways and times."

"Yeah." Tyler begins collecting his backpack and jacket. "Thanks for meeting with me, Ms. Lockhart." He got up from his chair and waves at Tifa before heading towards the door. "Same time?" He asks, his left hand touches the door knob.

Tifa nods and smiles sweetly. Tyler returns the gesture and left the office. When the door snapped shut, Tifa quickly began shuffling papers around on her desk. After a couple of minutes of looking, she found what she was looking for. She grabs the cordless phone from its cradle and dials a number.

"Hello?" A man on the other end answers.

"Hi, Mr. Shinra. This is Tifa Lockhart speaking. I was wondering if I could go home early."

"That's fine, Tifa." Mr. Shinra cheerfully replies. "You're a hard worker. It's no problem at all."

"Thank you sir. Have a great day." She hung up the phone and dials another number.

"Yes Tifa?"

"Papa, I'm going to be coming home late tonight so I'm gonna order you a sandwich for dinner."

"Okay, but don't stay out too late."

She rolls her eyes. Seriously, she's in her early twenties yet her father treats her like she's four. A parents love never dies, she supposes. "Papa, I'm an adult. A _responsible_ adult. I know what I'm doing."

Papa sighs. "I know, honey."

"See you in a few minutes."

Tifa places the phone in its cradle, scribbles something down on a piece of paper, and heads out of her office.

* * *

"So how's the hunt coming along for you and Vincent?" Reno's voice echoed in the kitchen. Yuffie placed him on speakerphone while she prepares an early dinner. She and Vincent had a long night ahead of them, and she expects them to return home late.

"It's kind of inactive right now." Yuffie responded as she put a scoop of butter on top of her red-skinned potatoes. "He hasn't made any moves yet. How are things going for you?"

"Kind of rocky. I mean, my target haven't done anything but visit Rocket Town every weekend. It's a good thing I own stocks and a restaurant of my own because chasing this chick around the is beginning to get a little pricey."

"Rocket Town?" Yuffie arches her eyebrow.

"Yeah Rocket Town. Why do you sound so surprised?"

"Because our target visits Rocket Town often."

She hears a gasp over the phone. "You've got to be shittin' me!"

"Does the name Elena Ramado sound familiar to you?"

Reno is silent for a moment. "Holy shit. Well this escalated quickly."

"While she's here, I'll keep you posted on her movements, and if Genesis goes to Costa del Sol, you keep me and Vincent posted."

"Will do." There's shuffling and static coming from the phone. "Well you enjoy your dinner with the vampire. I'm gonna enjoy my evening with a little hottie that I met last night."

Before Yuffie could reply with a smart-aleck remark, Reno was gone. She ends the call and locked her phone before going over to the cabinets and grabbing plates. Vincent enters the kitchen moments later and grabs the pitcher of water from the fridge. He pours himself and Yuffie a glass and sat at the small table that Yuffie picked out a few days ago.

"I just got off the phone with our fiery red-haired friend." Yuffie said as she placed the plate in front of him. She sits down with her plate in front of her and continued the conversation. "And we all have something in common: our targets. Come to find out, his target is the mistress of our target."

Vincent nods. "It'll make things easier for the three of us." He shoved a piece of steak in his mouth before continuing. "We need to head out soon if we want to keep tabs on his movements."

"Yeah. Hey, I just thought of something. If Genesis is the real threat, why would Sephiroth make Elena Reno's target? Is she possibly involved with the crimes he commit?"

"That's for us to find out." Vincent finishes the rest of his water and places his plate in the sink. Yuffie scarves down the rest of her food, and followed behind Vincent.

* * *

"That's a good find but considering the amount of time you've spent on finding that one thing, that's nothing to go on. It actually makes things even more difficult for the department."

Aeris observed Cloud's progress in cracking the case. He's been working day and night, trying to find something to go on. From what Cloud could see so far, it's different people committing the crimes. Each murder that takes place happens in a different way. Some of the murders are done by simple strangulation or a quick, swift slit of the throat. Others are committed by several stab wounds, which could reflect an execution-style murder. So many killings are happening but by different people; it's not just one person. A group, perhaps?

"At least the department knows it's just not one person. We need to up our patrol cars and keep our eyes on anyone who looks suspicious." Cloud walks over to the white board that's positioned on a stand. "You see this woman right here?" Cloud points to a victim who had been stabbed over 30 times. "I suspect maybe a husband or a boyfriend."

"Maybe a jealous fling." Aeris dismisses nonchalantly. "It could happen."

Cloud gives her a weird look. What's up with her? "And look at this scene." Cloud points to a man who bled to death because his penis was cut off. "This murder was definitely by the hands of a woman. I can't picture a man doing that."

"The message was probably something like this: I bet you won't shove it anywhere else." Aeris comically replies.

Cloud nods. He glances at the clock and it reads 11:45 pm on top of the fireplace. Aeris gets up from the small couch, and went to Cloud and kisses him softly on his lips.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air."

Cloud waves at her, but tore his eyes away from the whiteboard. She stood still for a moment with narrowing eyes. The blond refused to let up. She walks out the front door and took her cellphone out of her pocket. As she dialed a number and awaited for an answer, she looks over her shoulder to make sure Cloud isn't behind. Of course he isn't He's too busy trying to crack the case.

"Hey. It's me. He isn't letting up."

* * *

Tyler is in his bedroom passed out on the floor with his TV on and the title menu of some movie Genesis isn't aware ofbeing played over and over. His father peers into his bedroom before closing his door completely. The middle-aged man grabs his overnight bag that he had packed earlier that day and went to the kitchen. He made sure that his son would see the note and heads out the home and locks the door behind him. He smiles to himself as he got into his car and tosses his bag into the passenger seat.

"Is everything like I asked?" His seductive, monotone voice spoke as he hit his screen a few times on his phone. His smile widened when he got his response. "Good. I'll see you there."

His engine roared to life and he begins to drive carefully into the night until he reaches his destination. Thirty minutes later, he's parking his car outside of a warehouse. He peers inside to see his blonde accomplice standing in front of their audience member. He grins devilishly as he closes the warehouse door behind him and approaches the two figures.

"I love to see a lady in red."

The red-haired man gives the blonde-haired woman's ass a quick whack. She smiles as a way to reply and turns her attention back to the audience member. The red-haired man caresses the young woman's face and chuckled slightly when the woman pulls back.

"You've picked a beautiful candidate for us this evening."

"Anything for you, Genesis."

Genesis gives his blonde-haired companion quick kiss before turning his attention to the young woman that's tied to a chair and dressed in red. He kneels down to her eye-level and observes her body. Her nipples were begging to be shown and he notices that the woman put up a fight. She had small, red scratches all over. The young woman's whimpers snaps him back into reality.

"Ssshhhh. Don't cry." Genesis began. "You can survive this if you do this certain thing with us."

"Wh-what thing?" The young woman's bottom lip begins to quiver in fear.

"Participating in the show, but you must enjoy it as well." Genesis answers as if the situation is normal. "My partner and I like to have fun. We think you'll be a perfect candidate for us this evening."

"Why me?" The woman cries out. "I was minding my business I- I wanna go home."

"You will." Elena shoots the petrified woman with a wicked smile. "If you behave."

Elena kneels next to Genesis and caresses the woman's breast. The woman kicks Elena in response and Elena simply smiles. "What's your name, hon?"

At first the woman didn't reply, but she saw the evil look Elena is beginning to give her. "Amanda."

"Amanda huh?" Elena repeats. She lunges forward and slaps Amanda across the face. "Don't do anything stupid like that again."

"She must be attracted to you." Genesis spoke up. "You see, you would've been dead for acting in such an ill-behaved manner but my blonde-haired beauty is feeling a little generous today."

He chuckled as Amanda's body oozed with fear. "Now." Genesis begins speaking again. "Let's try this again shall we?"

A loud creek shatters Amanda's feeble attempts of pleading. The three of them instantly ceased their movements. "Were you followed?" Genesis asks as panic slowly rises in his body and voice.

"I should be asking you the same thing." Elena hisses.

Another creek echoes through the warehouse followed by a gunshot. Elena yelps and immediately starts running for the door. Genesis swore incoherently and runs after Elena, leaving Amanda behind.

"Wait! Come back! Please!"

Genesis slams the door behind him and moments later drove off with Elena behind him. Seconds later, Amanda felt a pair of hands around her wrist. She closes her eyes tight and began to beg for life. She didn't even bother to see her next attacker. She slowly open her eyes when she heard a snap-like noise, and the pressure around her wrists is beginning to fade away. Before she could register what was going on, the pair of hands begins to undo another set of ropes, giving her relief seconds later. Amanda jumps out of the chair and quickly turns back to see a tall figure standing behind her.

"Go. There's someone outside waiting for you." The man spoke in a serious tone.

Without hesitation, Amanda nods and runs to the front of the warehouse with no questions asked. She opened the door and looks back. "Wh-whoever you are, thank you."

The man nods as he watches Amanda's slim figure retreat from the warehouse. The man pulls out his cell phone. "Yuffie, I caught them in the act. There's a survivor; get to her immediately."

"Does she need medical attention?" Yuffie asks as she peers through the bushes. She saw two cars fly down the street. "Damn! Those two cars must've belonged to Genesis and Elena!"

"Yeah they immediately ran when I fired a shot. From what I observed, the woman is fine but check just in case."

"Will do."

He ends the call with his partner in crime and went towards the direction he fired his gun. He picks up three rounds and exits through the back door that he had entered in. Vincent stops dead in his tracks when he notices fresh footprints. He didn't make any sudden movements but made a mental note to tread with caution and be ready to fire his gun, Cerebus, at any time. He knew for a fact that he and Yuffie weren't followed. He follows the steps slowly and made sure his awareness is still intact. He notices the footprints ends near the road where black skid marks have now formed. Looking both ways down the road and not seeing anything or anyone, Vincent decides to push the matter behind his head, but the thought couldn't remain there forever. If he and Yuffie were indeed followed, he would have to find that person and eliminate him or her as well. Their identities must remain intact, no matter the cost.


	5. Conversations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

"I'm impressed that you took a lot of time in these cases, Cloud." Angeal analyzes the notes that were in front of him that Cloud gave to him that morning. He sips his black coffee and reviews the notes over again, nodding in approval at certain lines. He appreciates Cloud's dedication, but now this makes things harder on the department. Instead of a serial killer, there are multiple murders occurring in Midgar.

"We'll have to up our patrol and investigate any suspicious activity." Angeal continued. "But that's for us to worry about. You've done your part. Go and take that two-week vacation with your lovely Aeris. I'm sure she's dying to get you away from here."

Cloud straightens his posture. "So, you know about that?"

"Yes." Angeal replied as he slowly directs his vision to Cloud, who now seems a little uncomfortable. Fornicating with employees is completely against company policy. If the situation should ever arise, Angeal would completely deny any allegations. Cloud is one of the best detectives in homicide, and Angeal would hate to see him go over something that's not worth getting worked up over.

"I see the way you look at her, and how you interact with one another when you think no one is looking. Don't worry; your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Captain." Cloud really appreciates his support.

Angeal nods and motions for Cloud to leave his office. Cloud nods in response and left Angeal's office. Maybe a two week vacation is just what Cloud needs.

* * *

Genesis violently drummed his fingers on his desk as he waits for Elena to answer her phone. He couldn't believe Elena was so careless last night. He really wanted to emit the dark, sexual demon that was inside him last night, but she had to ruin it for him. Never, in all his years of dark, foul play, have Genesis been a part of a failed attempt.

"What the hell happened!?" Elena's voiced pierces Genesis's ears.

"Don't get loud with me, bitch." Genesis warns. "I should be asking you the same thing."

"Someone followed you."

"No, someone followed _you_!" He corrects.

Elena sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes. "It doesn't matter who was followed. I'm more concerned about that woman. She knows what we look like and our names."

Genesis grunts in agreement. Perhaps the two should stop acknowledging each other by names for future activities. "Where did you find her?"

"In Rocket Town at a coffee shop. We have to make a trip to Rocket Town and eliminate her."

"My thoughts exactly." Genesis agreed as he stood up from his chair. He glances outside to see his surroundings. Since the failed attempt last night, he's been experiencing paranoia.

"Let's discuss this some other time." She quickly wants to dismiss the matter from her mind. "I have better things in mind that we can talk about."

Genesis grinned at how sassy and seductive her voice became. "I don't think that's possible." He hears the small gasp on the other end. He denied her, and that rubbed her the wrong way. "You see Elena, I can't dismiss this mistake so easily as you can. I'll contact you when I'm ready to speak with you about that woman."

Before giving her a chance to respond, Genesis taps the 'End' icon on his phone.

* * *

The sunlight slowly beams through Vincent's bedroom. The sunlight adorns his hair and made it look more like a dark brown color. He slowly opens his eyes and rose slowly from his bed. He looks at the clock and it reads read 8:00. This is considered a sleep-in for Vincent. Usually he's up by 6:30 in the morning. He walks to his bathroom and did his morning shower. After his shower, he got dressed and heads down the hall towards the left to Yuffie's room. He knocks four times before ending his actions and waits for Yuffie to answer. He frowns when he didn't get a response. It wasn't like her to disappear without letting him know something. He walks back down the hall but this time, he passes his bedroom and descends down the stairs to the main room, where he cut through to head in the kitchen.

He notices a note posted on the fridge door when he began to open it.

_Vince,_

_You looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn't want to disturb you. I'm going out to a coffee shop and to do some sight-seeing. You should get out as well and get some fresh air. If you have any problems, call me._

_P.S. Call Sephiroth as soon as you can._

_Love Yuffie_

Vincent snatches the note from the fridge and threw it in the trash can beside it. He pours himself a glass of orange juice and also grabs a bagel and places it in the toaster. As the bagel began to toast in the toaster, her wondered when was the last time he had a peaceful breakfast. Sure, Yuffie would cook meals all the time, and they would often eat with each other, but his idea of a peaceful breakfast is a hot meal with a nice glass of orange juice and conversation, preferably none, filled with plans for that day or dinner later on if conversations were necessary. It irritates him to talk about a target every morning at breakfast. Since it has been a while since he has had the privilege of enjoying such an activity, he decides to put the phone call to Sephiroth on hold until after breakfast. After his breakfast, he went upstairs into his room and called Sephiroth.

"How's everything going?" Sephiroth spoke in his usual monotone, yet deadly-sounding voice. "Reno has informed me that his target is sexually connected to your target."

"That is correct." Vincent replied as he sits on his bed. "The three of us had been keeping contact with each other since we've discovered this information. Also, we caught them a couple of days ago trying to perform their evil actions on a poor woman."

Sephiroth listens to Vincent's details about what happened a couple of nights ago. Vincent also informs Sephiroth that someone else was there.

"Were you and Yuffie followed?"

"No, we weren't, at least we think we weren't. We took extra precautions. We arrived as soon as Genesis and Elena arrived but by foot. The car was parked on the side of the road about three minutes away from the location. During the walk, we didn't see anyone."

"Hmm…." Sephiroth thought for a moment. "Whoever was there, assuming the two of you weren't followed, must have been following Genesis and Elena. Be on your guard while you're in Nibelheim. I don't want your identities compromised. "

Vincent agrees and ends the conversation. He sighs heavily as he glances at his prized possessions, his father's gun and an old photograph of his father . His father smiled brightly and just looking at that picture always lifts Vincent's spirits whenever he looks at it. It amazes him how much he's changed over the years. The boy that was clinging to his father's side in the photograph is the same boy on the bed, only he's now a man who has changed drastically. Sighing heavily again, he got up from his bed and begins putting on his boots. Yuffie's right; fresh air will do him some good.

* * *

Tifa couldn't wait for the weekend to come. There's no work or school to disturb her from her much needed alone time. After what she had seen a couple of nights ago, she's been paranoid. Curiosity got the best of her and she'd seen something that she could never erase from her head. She thought about calling the police but what good would that do? She's sure the poor woman is too scared to testify in court and not to mention a terrible accusation like that have to be backed up with concrete evidence.

 _It's not what you know or saw, Tifa. It's what you can prove._ Between work, school, and her Papa, Tifa could barely keep track of everything in her life as it is, but morally, what Tyler's father is doing is wrong, and he needs to be brought to justice, but how to do it? Shaking her head uncontrollably, she heads out the front door. She needs to breathe after what happened a few nights ago. She honestly wanted to look at some houses as well today. Don't get her wrong, she loves her Papa with every fiber in her body, but she's a 22 year-old woman who still lives with her father. She's more than financially stable to live on her own. Ever since her mother's passing, she felt like it's an obligation to live with her father because who would be there whenever he would get sick or hungry? The idea of moving out is appealing to her, but to see the disappointed look on her Papa's face is something she's not looking forward to. Her brows furrowed as she realizes that the mansion that's been abandoned for two years finally has the 'For Sale' sign taken out of the front yard.

 _Someone finally bought that place huh?_ _I wonder what it looks like inside._ The home had endured a complete remodel since the last tenants occupied the mansion. They were a bunch of rich snobs that Tifa didn't really associate with. She hopes the new neighbors were at least kind. Pushing the derogatory thoughts from her mind, she continued to walk up the road. Minutes later she's in the market strip. She grabs a few fruits and vegetables for snacks and dinner. She saw an empty bench nearby and decided to rest there after making her purchases.

Over the years, Nibelheim has been attracting more life and people over the years. She noticed that there were a lot of unfamiliar faces in town. In a town like Nibelheim, everyone knows everyone, or at least seen everyone. She figures people were tired of the city life and decided to take a more peaceful route. Tifa grabs an apple from the brown bag where the rest of the fruit were in. She was so busy in her own thoughts that she didn't realize that more people began to gather around the area. She notices a tall, slender man with long raven locks standing around looking for a spot to sit at.

She figured it would be the kind thing to do and offer him a seat next to her since all the other benches were occupied. She got up and began approaching the man, swallowing apple chunks in the process.

"Excuses me sir?"

The man whips around and saw Tifa smiling at him. For a split second, Tifa knew she had seen the man before. Vincent stares back at her, realizing it was the young lady at the restaurant he and Yuffie went to on their first day moving to Nibelheim.

"Yes?" Vincent spoke.

His voice is monotone and deep but it sends involuntary shivers through Tifa's spine. Never has she been so close to a person that would seem so repulsive to others. His crimson-red eyes glistens brightly against the sunlight. For a moment, she didn't have anything to say.

Vincent slightly glares at the young woman. She interrupted him from his search for somewhere to sit just to stare at him. He looks at his reflection in her eyes and noticed why she's staring. He forgot his contacts. Vincent mentally curses himself for being so careless.

"…Um..." Tifa finally spoke up. "Were you looking for a seat? I have an available spot next to me if you want to sit down." Tifa points to her spot on the bench.

Vincent is skeptical but accepts the young woman's offer. Tifa and Vincent sits down on the bench and tilted the bag full of fruit towards Vincent. "It's not much but it's healthy."

Vincent took a peek inside the bag and sees a peach. He garbs it and takes a huge bite from it. "Thank you."

Tifa nods and continues to eat her apple. For minutes, all that's shared between the two were the constant noises of teeth chewing fruit. As the minutes ticked by, more people were coming and going through the market area.

"Wow. Nibelheim has attracted a lot of people in the recent years." Tifa spoke as she observes a family of four picking out vegetables.

"The produce seems fresh here." Vincent replies.

"Oh yes it is, but I mean in general. Before we know it, Nibelheim is going to be a city." Tifa pauses to toss her apple core in a nearby trash bin. "I hope not. I like a quiet, peaceful town."

Vincent listener carefully to the woman. She seems like a bright woman who has been here her entire life. He threw away his peach pit and turns his attention back to Tifa. "Have you been here since you were born?"

"Yep." She smiles heartily at Vincent. Her smile is beautiful and her cheerful nature made Vincent more relaxed in having a conversation with her. "I couldn't have asked for a better place to be born and raised in."

Her smile slightly fades as she took a closer look at Vincent. She could tell he's Wutainese, and being born in Wutai is a hardship for a lot of people since the war between Wutai and Midgar. She knew that Wutainese people were dangerous and protective of themselves. Vincent notices her sudden change in mood, and how the young woman starts to gnaw at her bottom lip. She wants to ask him, but she's afraid that she may anger him.

"Um…..what was it like in Wutai?"

"Hn…" Vincent isn't too surprised that she picked up on his culture. "I'm not sure." He replies honestly. "I haven't been in years."

"I see. Well….maybe one day things will get better there."

Vincent simply nods and Tifa remained quiet, unsure of what to say next. She didn't mean to offend the man nor bring back horrible memories. "I'm sorry, sir."

Vincent shook his head. "There's no need to apologize." He gets up from the bench. "Thank you for the peach."

Tifa smiles happily and gets up from the bench as well. "No problem. I'm Tifa." She extends her hand for Vincent to shake.

"Alex." Vincent replies back and took her hand.

"Is it really Alex or is that short for Alexander?" Tifa teases but she's also a bit curious.

"The latter." 

They release each other's hand and Vincent wished her a good day and walks in the opposite direction, leaving Tifa behind to wonder about the mysterious man she just introduced herself to.

* * *

Four o'clock in the afternoon and not a word from Vincent. Yuffie assumes he's doing fine, and listened to her advice. She places her phone back in her bag and waves the bartender down to order a drink.

"May I have a glass of cranberry juice with three shots tequila please?" She presents her I.D. so the bartender didn't have to ask. The man nods and walks away to prepare her drink. While the bartender is making her drink, Yuffie took the time out to scan the area. It's a nice place for younger people to hangout. She was informed by a local that there's a curfew for the younger people so the older crowd can come and have a drink. The bar doesn't make as much money when the younger crowd is around.

"Hey there, Reeve!" The bartender yells over to a man with a tall, slender figure and short raven hair. He reminds Yuffie of Vincent a little, only this man appeared to be a little older than him and also had facial hair.

Reeve nods in acknowledgement to Yuffie's presence and orders himself a drink.

"I haven't seen you around before." Reeve spoke as he took a handful of peanuts from the table and began to crack the shells.

"Neither have I." Yuffie replies as she gives Reeve her undivided attention.

"Defensive and feisty, I see."

"Maybe."

The bartender comes back with their drinks. Yuffie took a hard swig of her drink, her eyes never leaving Reeve's face. A smile tugs at the corner of his lips but he didn't dare let it show.

"How long have you been in town?"

"A couple of days." Yuffie thought more into her answer. "Maybe a week. I don't keep up with the days anymore."

"I see." Reeve replied as he gave his drink a slight swirl before taking another swig of it. "Where's your husband?"

 _The typical Wutainese stereotype._ Yuffie thought. Wutainese women are known for being their husbands' shadow and there's no such thing as a divorce. In Wutai, women are taught to marry for the rest of their lives and overcome any problem that should arise in the marriage. Men are taught to be men; bring home the money so food can be put on the table and clothes could be put on their family's backs. It's an old-fashioned way of life, but in today's ages, it's looked down upon.

"He's running some errands." Yuffie simply states, not bothering to hide the mirth in her tone.

"And he trusts you to be out here by yourself?" Reeve quirks his eyebrow, playing along.

"Of course. He trusts me to do right by him, which I do."

Yuffie studies the expression Reeve gives her. It's filled with curiosity. She knew he isn't buying her story, but mind games were Yuffie's forte. Reeve simply smiles and cracked another peanut shell and ate the contents.

"We got off on the wrong foot. How about we try this again?"

Yuffie nods and took another swig of her drink. "I agree. My name is Naomi."

Reeve accepts her extended hand. "I'm Reeve Tuesti. Forgive me for prying a few seconds ago."

"Apology accepted, though, I enjoyed your attempts."

The two of them laughs and continued to converse with one another. Yuffie learns that Reeve is well known in the area and that he had been raised here his entire life. He explains to her that the town is slowly growing, which is good for local businesses. It also gave the town a chance to expand in a way. Reeve learned that Yuffie is indeed a Wutainese woman but didn't pry about her culture. People from Wutai take offense in being asked about Wutai. From what Reeve gathered from Yuffie's words, it's a war zone. Many people lost their lives and families because of the war, and in Reeve's opinion, Yuffie is no exception. He also told her about him being the sheriff in Nibelheim.

"A little town like this has crime?" Yuffie asks in a fake, appalled tone.

Reeve laughs. "Petty crimes such as stealing from the market and public indiscretions is all that really occurs in Nibelheim. Nothing serious. Most of the action in my life comes from Rocket Town."

Yuffie furrows her brows together. "Is Rocket Town low on people in the force?"

"Sort of. They experience more crimes than Nibelheim so I visit Rocket Town frequently to help out with major things over there such as homicides."

Yuffie nods. She grabbed a peanut, cracked the shell, and ate the nut. She swallowed before continuing the conversation. "Is it scary working in homicide?"

Reeve shook his head. "Not really. I went to school to major in the field specifically for homicide, well, not exactly."

"Something like forensic science that kind of helped you out?" Yuffie guesses.

Reeve couldn't help but smile at this woman. "Naomi, for a woman so young such as yourself, you know a lot."

"I have life, school, my father, and 'the husband' to thank for my vast knowledge."

Reeve couldn't help but to laugh out loud, and Yuffie couldn't help it either. They were both having an engaging conversation with each other, neither knew when was the last time they have had this much fun when it came to having a conversation with someone. The bartender came back but waited for the laughter to cease.

"Hey Joel, give me another round of the usual, and whatever she's having." Reeve motions towards Yuffie.

"A glass of cranberry juice but instead of three shots of tequila, make it four."

Joel nods and left to make the drinks. Reeve's eyes were wide at Yuffie's request. He looks at his watch and saw that it read 5:30 p.m.

"Tequila this early? I'm scared of you."

Yuffie giggles. "I'm not an ordinary woman."

"I can see that." Reeve agrees.

Their eyes locked on each other for a split second and moments later, they continued their conversation.

* * *

Vincent settles for a turkey-croissant sandwich since Yuffie isn't around to cook anything exquisite. He really isn't hungry to begin with anyways. He just needs on something light on his stomach before bed so he wouldn't wake up in the middle of the night with an empty stomach. It's now eight in the evening, and Vincent starts to worry. It isn't like Yuffie to not check in on Vincent, or shoot him a text asking him how his day has been going. As soon as he reaches out for his phone, Yuffie walks through the door. Vincent stares at the entrance, waiting for Yuffie's slender form to emerge in front of him. She has a bright smile on her face as she places a plastic bag on the counter a few feet from Vincent.

"I see my 'husband' has made himself a sandwich. Tell me dear husband, are you mad at your wife for not having a hot, home-cooked meal waiting for you?"

Vincent just stares at Yuffie, and that causes her to burst into giggles. Vincent already knew she has been drinking a little.

"Who did you meet?" Whenever Yuffie calls Vincent her husband, he knew someone ran the typical Wutainese stereotype on her.

"A guy named Reeve." Yuffie finally answered after her giggles subsided. "I had a very good conversation with him. I also learned a lot about Nibelheim." Her tone is filled with mirth but it's in a more serious tone so Vincent would take her seriously.

"What did you tell him your name was?"

Yuffie frowns at Vincent's serious tone. "Calm down. I told him Naomi. You know that's the usual name I give people upon meeting them."

Vincent nods and continues to eat his sandwich. Yuffie gets up and went to the cupboards and grabs a saucer and a paring knife. She sits back down near Vincent, and pulls out a peach and begins peeling the skin off with the knife.

"Did you visit the market place?" Vincent asked when he saw the peach.

"Yeah. I was in the mood for a little snack so Reeve showed me the market place before I headed home. Did you stop by there as well?"

"Earlier today, yes." Vincent grabs the first piece of skin that fell on Yuffie's saucer and ate it. He didn't understand Yuffie sometimes. She wouldn't eat a peach's skin, but she would eat an apple's skin. She's a weird woman like that and has been for as long as Vincent knew her.

"Reeve told me that there are usually a lot of people there during the morning."

"That's correct. A woman offered an empty seat for me to sit down."

 _Wait? What?_ Vincent thought. He knew he opened his mouth too soon because, as he expected, Yuffie is giving him her famous 'Tell me all the details' look. Vincent sighs and explains the encounter he had had with Tifa.

"You told her your name is Alex and then clarified it's short for Alexander!?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, Yuffie." Vincent moans. He's definitely regretting he volunteered the tidbit to his nosey platonic sister. "I was simply making conversation with the woman. After all, it's only right to return the kindness that she had given me."

"Uh huh. Suuuuuure. I totally believe you." Her laughter echoed through the kitchen when Vincent glares at her. "Anyways, enough teasing you, I got some information on the case."

Vincent's glare drops, and that made Yuffie smile. "I knew that would ease you. Well, the night that we stopped Genesis and Elena, I managed to get the survivor's name. Her name is Amanda Gainsborough and she resides in Rocket Town. We need to keep a close eye on her. We don't want any unnecessary bloodshed. Also, we need to call Reno first thing tomorrow morning. "

Vincent agrees. "We should make a quick trip there tomorrow to make sure everything is fine."

"I couldn't agree with you more."

For the rest of their time spent at the counter, they ate in silence. Once they were done, Yuffie cleaned up behind them and they both went upstairs to their respective rooms. Yuffie's eyes wide awake, almond eyes staring at the ceiling thinking about Reeve. How is it possible that a man like Reeve was able to make her feel more 'human' in just one encounter? How could he make her forget about _him_ so easily? Yuffie often reserved her heart for that special someone she has known for a good portion of her life, but as life went on, so did his emotions, or at least that's what Yuffie thinks. They never had a one on one conversation with one another about the topic. How could she make assumptions without having all the facts? She rolls over and closes her eyes shut, allowing unanswered questions about Reeve swim through her mind.

Vincent, just like Yuffie, found it difficult to sleep. He wonders why Tifa has shot an instant spark within him. In all his years of living, no woman has ever made him feel that way. Sure, he has attracted his fair share of women, even had a few flings, but Tifa's different. The way she carried herself and her smile. It was all intoxicating to the raven haired man. The way he's able to ease into a conversation with her is new as well. Usually he would struggle to keep a conversation going, but with Tifa he did it with such ease he almost forgot about his want of not talking to strangers. Surely it's because she was being nice, and it was only fair to return the gesture, right? _Keep telling yourself that, Valentine._ Vincent sighs loudly as he rolls over.

"It was simply a common conversation with the woman. Nothing more, nothing less."


	6. Thunderstorms

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.

Cloud's foot is pressed harshly on the gas pedal, trying to desperately reach Rocket Town. Aeris received a phone call from Amanda saying that she was recently attacked, and that didn't sit well with Cloud nor Aeris.

"Turn left Cloud!" Aeris yells as her attention quickly darts back to the PHS. Cloud jerked the car at an intersection and almost caused an accident, leaving two angry drivers behind him. A few more turns here and there and they were finally at Amanda's apartment in Rocket Town. Aeris hops out of the car and barges through the front door. She quickly scans the living area of the apartment, and notices Amanda is nowhere to be found. She quickly runs upstairs and sees her sister sitting on her bed with a blank expression that seems to come to life as soon as Aeris rushes to her side. Cloud stood silently by the door, shifting all of his body weight on the door frame.

"Tell me the full story." Aeris demands as Amanda swipes away stray strands of hair out of her face.

Amanda shakes her head. "I didn't mean to ruin your vacation."

"Amanda, you need to tell us what happened." Cloud spoke up.

Amanda sighs and begins explaining what had happened a few nights ago. Aeris and Cloud were pleased that her life was spared by two people. Amanda stresses that she's living in fear and she has been experiencing paranoia since the incident.

"Cloud, we're staying here." Aeris says firmly.

He simply nods. When it comes to Amanda, Aeris is very protective of her little sister. He knew better than to come in between her and Amanda. Amanda protests against Aeris's demand, but Aeris completely ignores her and went out of the room and begins tidying the spare to her liking. Amanda glances at Cloud, who's still standing in the same spot with the same emotionless expression he also has on his face. She sighs in defeat and hung her head low. She didn't mean for their vacation to be ruined. Aeris is so damn adamant about everything. She knew her older sister meant well, but at the same time, it bothers her that she's the reason why things get ruined at times.

"You needn't to worry about this matter." Cloud spoke in his usual tone.

"I'm sorry, but I needed someone to talk to. I promise I didn't mean to ruin your vacation!" Amanda blurts out, fighting back the fresh tears that threatened to impede out of her eyes.

Cloud walks up to her and places his hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to explain anything. I will personally take care of this myself."

Amanda nods, knowing Cloud means business. He turns to leave the room, until Amanda's voice stops him in his tracks.

"Hey Cloud, you can start by speaking with Reeve Tuesti. He's a sheriff in Nibelheim but he comes to Rocket Town frequently to help out with crimes. He's very good at what he does."

Cloud nods. "Thanks, but if he's a sheriff in Nibelheim, why does he come to Rocket Town?"

Nibelheim doesn't experience major crimes like Rocket Town does. And Cloud…." She bit her bottom lip harshly as she shuffles her feet around nervously. Cloud didn't rush her; he patiently waits for her next statement. Whatever it is, it's hard for her to speak about the subject. "I never filed a police report. I was too scared to. When I file it, can you go with me and promise me that we will personally speak to Reeve Tuesti?"

"No problem. We'll head towards Nibelheim first thing Monday morning."

Amanda nodded and smiled, feeling a wave of relief washing away. Now that Cloud and Aeris is there with her to protect her, she feel she can live life like it's supposed to be lived: free and not having a single worry on your mind.

* * *

Out of all days to rain, today had to be one of those days. Tifa is parked on the side of the road because of the harshness of the rain. She shields her eyes away from the heavy drops as much as she could with her right hand. There was a national weather advisory announcement an hour before she decided to leave the house. Unfortunately, the weatherman was a little inaccurate with predicting the weather, that, or the rain decided to come earlier than expected. She knows her Papa is worried sick about her. The only reason she left the house in the first place is to get some more supplies for dinner for the next couple of days. With the rain, the wind blows harshly against her, and that makes her shiver. Her car unfortunately stopped moving, hence the reason she's parked on the side of the road, and there is no one in sight to help her.

She hastily begins to look around. She knows the police station is the first major building she would run into but that's at least an hour walk. The supermarket is relatively far away from the town. She never understood why something essential like a grocery store is located on the other end of town. She clicks the top button on her phone and notices that she only have two percent left on her phone. She moans loudly, makes sure her car alarm is set, and begins her trek towards the police station. No point in staying outside. She's already squandered enough time as it is. She figures there would be no one at the supermarket because it was thirty minutes before closing when she went inside, so the police station is her only hope.

As she begins the long trek down the road, she begins to shiver uncontrollably. Her attempts to try to warm her hands by blowing on them are feeble. Every time the wind blew, it was harsh and the water was a direct hit in her face. She clutches her jacket tighter on her body in hopes of producing some type of warmth. She feels her phone vibrate, and pulls it out of her pocket and looks at the number: Papa. As much as she would love to answer her Papa's call, she couldn't. She's too cold to answer, not mention the rain may damage her phone. She doesn't have a lot of battery life on the device as well. She makes a mental note to call him as soon as she reaches the station.

Twenty minutes have passed by and the storm only grew worse. Her teeth clashes against one another since she couldn't stop her jaw muscles from moving. She sniffs away the snot that's forming in her nose. Her phone is now at one percent and she at least has another forty minutes to go before she reaches the police station. As her struggle continues, she see a huge building forming in her blurry vision. She winces to make out what the building is, and a smile creeps onto her face. It's the mansion that was recently bought a week or two ago. She's so used to the home being abandoned that she completely forgot that it is now being occupied. After time went one, she actually forgot about it existence. The sight makes her feel a little hopeful in her current situation. Her pace quickens and her limbs are beginning to stiffen. She has to hurry if she doesn't want to suffer more from the storm.

Ten more minutes of walking, and she's finally in front of the mansion. She notices the main gates that protects the entrance are replaced with a fancier-looking set of gates. Her clammy hands shivers as she pushes the gates out of her way with all the force she could muster. She slowly stomps her way to the front door and exhale in relief when she makes it to the door. She knocks on the door three times and ring the doorbell once in hopes the inhabitant would answer the door. She isn't even aware of what time it is. She just wants shelter and some sort of warmth. Moments later, a petite woman answers the door. It appears that she has a nasty expression on her face. Tifa couldn't blame her; the brunette is knocking on her door after all at Gaia knows what time. The young woman's disgusted expression disappears when she see the state Tifa is in. The younger woman doesn't ask any questions; she simply grabs Tifa's wrists and practically drags the woman inside the home. Tifa hits the floor hard, but she doesn't mind the impact. As long as she's in a warm, dry place, she's fine.

"Are you okay?! What the heck you're doing out there during this time?" The younger woman questions in shock as she knells next to Tifa.

"I thought the storm was gonna come a little later like the w-w-weatherman said." Tifa explains. "S-s-so, I went to the supermarket and got caught in it."

"You walked to the supermarket?!" The younger woman is still shock.

"Of course n-n-not. I drove but my car stopped working."

Tifa's chattering only worsens and she shifts her body into a fetal-like position. The younger woman quickly takes off Tifa's coat and throws it on the coat rack. She quickly runs through the main room and up the stairs to go to the linen closet that's located next to the main bathroom. On her way, she runs into a tall, slender obstacle.

"What's wrong?" The crimson-eyed man asks as he arches his eyebrow at the petite woman.

"Someone is practically dying in our main room!"

Before he could ask anything else, the woman took off running again towards her destination. The crimson-eyes man frowns and walks in the direction where the petite woman came from. He glances at the figure that's curled up in a corner near the front door. His frown only deepens as he continues walking down the stairs. He was sure the petite woman was exaggerating about someone dying in the main room, but as he got closer to the woman in question, he did notice that her condition isn't good.

"Are you okay?"

Tifa looks up to take a peek at the man who just spoke. She wants to keep as much warmth to herself as she could. She could have sworn she'd seen the man before. When she freed her vision from her peek hole she created with her arms, she's surprised who she is looking at.

"A-a-Alex?"

"Tifa?" Vincent finally realizes who Tifa is.

Yuffie comes rushing down the stairs with towels in her hands. She wraps Tifa's body with the towel, and inspects her finger tips and hisses.

"I think she's suffering from hypothermia. I got to get you out of these clothes. Come with me. Alex, could warm the kettle up for me?"

Vincent appreciates the moments when Yuffie is able to adapt to their environment, in which calling him Alex and not Vincent. Yuffie guides Tifa up the stairs. She didn't notice the looks Tifa and Vincent are exchanging. They both have questions for each other, but Tifa's health is more important than a bunch of silly questions. Vincent went to the kitchen and starts the kettle. As it begins to heat up, he hears water running from upstairs. He grabs all sorts of tea packets, the crystal container that contains the sugar, and a serving tray. He figure she would be cold so making a fire at the fireplace would be helpful for her; maybe in the long run for him and Yuffie as well. The fire is perfectly lit, and Vincent went back to the kitchen to check the kettle, which isn't hot enough to his liking. He grabs a small towel from the counter and wipes away the water marks Tifa's body left behind.

While Vincent is downstairs tending to the fireplace and kettle, Yuffie is rummaging through Vincent's room to look for a simple t-shirt and some pajama pants. She would've offered the brunette some of her clothing, but taking a simple glimpse of her body, the clothes would look skimpy on her. The brunette has a beautiful body structure with a nice bust to complement her curves. Yuffie is a little jealous. She had always wanted a natural bust like Tifa's but she couldn't have everything; she at least had some curves. Yuffie settles for a red silk pajama set. She hopes Vincent doesn't get angry with her for going through his things and taking his clothing. She runs to the bathroom where Tifa is at.

"Here, wear these." Yuffie sets the silk clothing on top of the white cabinet that's behind the toilet. "It's not much but it's dry."

"Thank you." Tifa smiles.

Yuffie returns the gesture and quickly leaves to give her some privacy. She went downstairs, and sees Vincent at the fireplace. The fire is now blazing but tamed. Yuffie is happy to see the fire. Her head snaps in the direction of kitchen when she hears the kettle make an ear-splitting noise. She jogs to the kitchen to take care of the matter. Vincent made sure the levels of the fire are suitable for the home before walking away from it. He grabs a few plush pillows from the couch and threw them to the floor. No one wanted to sit on a hard floor without some type of cushion. Yuffie returns with the serving tray and tea.

"Is this the same Tifa you met at the market place?" Yuffie questions as she carefully sat the tray on the floor.

"Yes."

Yuffie nods. "Her car stopped working on the side of the road. She said she was coming from a supermarket. You should see if you can get it running again."

Vincent heads to the front door and put on his trench coat. Moments later Tifa came down stairs, wearing Vincent's red, silk pajamas. It droops from her body slightly but not too much. She greets the duo with a bright smile.

"Hi. I'm terribly sorry for disrupting your evening. I'll go as soon as the storm clears." Tifa is really grateful that Yuffie opened the door.

"I wouldn't leave a dog out there in that hell if it showed up on my doorstep." Yuffie teases. "I'm Naomi. And you?"

"Tifa."

"Nice to meet you. I see you've already met Alex."

Yuffie points at Vincent, who's pulling up his collar on his coat. Tifa nods in his direction in acknowledgement, and Vincent did the same thing. "We met at the market place." Tifa says and smiles sweetly.

"So I've heard." Yuffie says, a smile on her face. "Anyway, why don't you come over here to the fireplace and warm up? You may get a terrible cold if you don't give your body the proper heat."

Tifa nods and sits down next to Yuffie in front of the fireplace. "Be careful out there, Alex." Yuffie calls over her shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Tifa questions.

"I'm going to get your car. Where are your keys?"

Tifa's eyes widens. It's storming like hell outside. She doesn't want this man to go out there and get her car. "That thing can stay stalled until the morning. It's hell out there."

Vincent appreciates her concern. It sounds so motherly. Maybe she is a mother. "I'll be fine. Now, I need your keys."

Tifa sighs as she got up and reaches into her coat pocket and gives Vincent the keys. She reaches inside of her pocket again, but this time hastily. She forgot all about her Papa. She clicks the top button on her phone, hoping it would come on, but it didn't.

"Do one of you have a cell phone charger that will fit this port? I have to call my father. I'm sure he's worried sick about me."

Yuffie detects the panic in Tifa's voice and gets up to find her personal charger. Vincent waits for Yuffie to come back with the charger before leaving the house. As soon as he steps out, he frowns at the sight. Tifa's right; this is hell. He walks to his car, making sure his hands and face are covered respectfully and gets inside his car. He's new to the area so he isn't sure which way to take. He decides to go west since the road looks like there isn't any businesses for miles.

* * *

"Why aren't you mourning over mother's death?" Tyler tries his best to compose himself in front of his father.

His mother is gone, and she isn't coming back, a fact the young boy is having a rough time coming to terms with. Why didn't his father mourn for her? Did he not fill a void inside his heart? Does he not cry at night because the grief over his wife's loss is too much to bare? Every night, Tyler weeps over his mother death. Why didn't his father do the same? They've been together before Tyler was born.

"Tyler, I am mourning." Genesis replies. "I'm just handling it differently than you."

"Dad, you go out more often now. Not to mention when you do decide to come home, you come in very early in the morning. I feel like we should be together and help each other." Tyler fights a losing battle with the tears in his eyes.

Genesis sighs, seeing how hurt his son is. "I didn't realize you missed her this much. Okay, how about we make a deal? For the upcoming week, all I do is go to work and come straight home and help you cope? How does that sound?"

Tears falls from Tyler's eyes finally. "Thanks you, Dad." Tyler croaks. "I'll come straight home after I finish my homework at the youth center."

Genesis nods and Tyler leaves his study, feeling better than he did before walking in. When Tyler is out of earshot, Genesis picks up his phone and dials Elena's number, who had called him five times prior to the conversation he has had with his son. It's a terrible storm outside, and the storm prevents him from making any moves against Amanda. When Elena picks up, she's about to give him attitude, but Genesis cut her off.

"Don't start with me. It's a storm outside not to mention my son is still shaken up about my wife's death."

"I thought you didn't care for your precious wife." Elena spits.

"You're right; I don't but my son does." Genesis spits back. "Just go back to Costa del Sol until I tell you to come back. I have to mend things with my son before I can do anything else."

He clicks the End icon, not giving Elena a chance to respond. He gazes out the window looking at the rain tap against the window harshly. It's going to be a long night.

* * *

Yuffie is driving up the road where Tifa had walked from with Tifa in the passenger seat of her car. Vincent had called Yuffie, and informed her that he managed to get Tifa's car to work. According to Vincent, the battery is low on energy. How typical. Tifa has her fair share of bad luck tonight it seems. Yuffie slowly parks her on the side of Vincent's car after making a U-turn. The storm is getting worse. The roads are beginning to look like a river. Tifa is thankful Yuffie loaned a pair of boots and a coat for her to wear. The last thing she wants to wear was soggy, wet belongings of hers that are at the house. She darts out of Yuffie's car and hops into the driver's seat of her car. When she is securely inside, Vincent turns on his car and revs his engine a little. A small spark shot out from the jump cables that are attached to Tifa's car. The light from the inside of her car come on, and she gives him a thumb up motion with a smile. Vincent got out of the car, grabs the cables, places them in his trunk, and gets back inside his car. Vincent signals Yuffie to start driving by flashing his lights on and off. Yuffie sees the hint and drove cautiously on the road with Tifa and Vincent behind her.

The three of them reaches the house before a harsh wind blast starts blowing away tree branches. Yuffie's teeth are chattering uncontrollably as she went to the kitchen.

"I'm making some more tea. Tifa and Alex, do you guys want some?" Yuffie calls over her shoulder.

"Yes." They both reply in unison.

Vincent took the coat and boots Tifa is wearing and allows her to go back to the fireplace. He went over to the main hallway's closet and grabs three blankets for the three of them to use. The fire from the fireplace may not be enough to keep the three of them warm. The temperature has dropped considerably in the house. Vincent checks the thermostat and notices the heat isn't on. That is very odd. Vincent doesn't recall a bill coming to the house about a payment then he realizes the storm may have caused a malfunction. He went back to the main room, where Yuffie has now joined Tifa. The two women are already enjoying their cup of tea. He sat the blankets down and made himself his tea to his liking.

"Did you get in touch with your father?" Yuffie asks in between sips.

"I tried reaching him but the phone refuses to ring." Tifa replies worriedly.

"I'm sure he's fine." Vincent reassures her. "Our thermostat has malfunctioned. The storm is probably the reason for the malfunction for the phone service around here as well."

That statement makes Tifa worry even more. She's almost positive that these people wouldn't hurt her, but she couldn't stay for the night. She needs to get in touch with her Papa. Yuffie notices how sad the brunette became. She wishes she could've done something to help ease the woman's worry.

"So, uh Tifa, what do you do?" Yuffie asks, trying to change the subject.

"I'm a therapist at the youth center in town." Talking about her work cheers Tifa up all the time. She love what she does for a living. Ever since her mother died, she always wanted to help someone who was in need. "I'm almost done with my master's degree in psychology. What about you?"

"Alex and I own businesses and stocks. We did the whole college thing as well." Tifa giggles a little when Yuffie waves her hand when she described college. "College isn't as fun as people make it out to be."

"Nor is it for everyone." Tifa quips.

The two women giggles and continues to have a conversation. Vincent gets up and looks out of the window when he hears the harshness of the wind. He groans in frustration at the sight of the front lawn looking like a swimming pool. He glances at Tifa, who's really involved with her conversation with Yuffie; she doesn't realize he is looking at her. She looks so beautiful and her bright smile complements her well. A distant, faint sound of thunder is heard and is followed by another sound, but this time it's much louder.

Complete darkness in the home. All that could be seen is the flame from the fireplace, which is now beginning to dwindle. Yuffie screams and somehow manages to find Vincent's frame. She clings onto him like glue stuck on paper. Tifa giggles when she saw Vincent's eyes roll. To her, his eyes are even more beautiful in the dark. It emits a fiery glow; glowing dim like an ember. Vincent begins walking with a now terrified Yuffie clinging onto his leg. He went over to the fireplace and shoves Yuffie harshly off of him to tend to the fire.

"That hurts you jerk." Yuffie whines.

Vincent ignores her and continues to tend to the fire.

"There's no wonder the thermostat is acting funky." Tifa spoke. "The power was getting ready to go out anyway. I guess I won't be able to go home."

"You're more than welcome to stay this evening." Vincent says as he places a small log inside the fireplace. It is the last one so he has to make it count. "It's more than likely floods everywhere so even if the power didn't go out, you still couldn't leave."

"Are you trying to hold this woman hostage?" Yuffie questions.

She laughs her head off when Vincent glares at her. If Tifa isn't scared of Vincent now, that look he gives Yuffie would have killed her dead. Tifa simply covers her mouth to mask her amusement. "Do you always pick on him, Naomi?"

Yuffie nods happily. "Oh of course. It's my job."

"Anyways," Vincent cut them off. "You're more than welcome to stay here for the evening. I don't think this fire is going to last us for the remainder of the evening. I'll go get some more blankets."

Vincent leaves to go to the second floor of the home to look for more blankets, leaving the two women to carry on with their conversation. Tifa notices Vincent's mannerisms isn't what she's used to. He is kind but also harsh at times. She could tell he was picked on a lot as a kid, especially by Yuffie. It may be their dynamic. Come to think of it, she isn't exactly sure what Vincent and Yuffie are? Siblings? Husband and wife?

"We always bicker. I'm the younger sibling. It's kind of my job." Yuffie spoke as if she is reading Tifa's mind.

Tifa responds with a small nod. Vincent returns to the front room with more blankets in his hands. The fire is getting smaller by the second. Vincent put the rest of the blazes out and sits down using his phone as light as a guide. Yuffie and Tifa took the opportunity to get comfortable. Once they were, Vincent laid in between the two women. He sat his phone a few feet away from their cold bodies, and slowly closes his eyes. Yuffie scooted her body as close as she could to Vincent's stomach. She tucks her left hand between her head and Vincent's chest. Another wave of thunder made its noisy appearance. Yuffie clutches the blanket tighter and sighs in Vincent's chest. It didn't come off as a surprise to Vincent that Yuffie is behaving this way. For some reason, she couldn't stand the thunder and lightning. Whenever a thunderstorm was outside, Yuffie would always barge into Vincent's room, jump into his bed, and lay on him for comfort. Over the years, Vincent just got used to it.

"Alex?" Tifa calls out in a low, barely audible whisper. Vincent blinks once to urge her to continue.

"Thank you for your kindness. I don't when or how, but I promise I'll pay you back."

Vincent knows she means it, and that touches him a little. He blinks again, adding a nod this time, in response. She smiles at him before closing her eyes. Vincent turns his head back towards the ceiling and begins to stare at it before letting his eyes shut completely.


	7. Speaking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an original post on FF.net from my account. This is an ongoing story, so if you want to read further, I recommend going there.
> 
> Also, one thing I will like to point out is that I'm a huge music fan, and that will reflect my writing in some chapters, like this one. I guess you can say it's 'our' music. Just a heads up.

The young boy yawns as he stretches his limbs in different directions. He shifts his body to get more comfortable in his bed, but soon found himself shifting again. A soft tune plays in the distance from the front room down stairs. A woman's soft laugh fills his ears followed by a man's soft voice. The boy knew those voices. He's heard them all his life. With curiosity getting the best of him, he slowly tip toed out of his bed, being sure not to alert the adults downstairs. He went down the hall and quietly walks down the steps. He kneels down and sees the two adults dancing freely in front of a lit fireplace. The woman took a sip of her wine as another soft laugh escapes her lips. The man gently grabs her head, whispered something in the woman's ear, and she laughs again, this time a little louder than the first.

The boy smiles. He hopes to achieve this level of happiness one day. The boy sits comfortably on the step and continues to observe the two lovers without them knowing. They continue to dance, drink wine, and laugh for a few more minutes, until the pair pauses. The boy frowns and quirks his eyebrow towards the pair. A man's voice plays on the small stereo system that's hooked up to speakers that are mounted on the walls throughout the living room.

" _Unforgettable."_ The man begins to sing. _"That's what you are."_

The woman smiles and replies. _"Unforgettable. Thou near or far."_

Another soft laugher echoes through the living room and the singing continues. The boy admires the pair in amazement. For as long as he could remember, the couple is always happy. Smiling and playing with each other like children. He sometimes wonders if he would ever have such a bond with someone. The laughter seizes and the tall, slender man presses his lips gingerly against the woman's. The boy covers his mouth to smother his laugh. The man smiles as he slowly pulled away from his wife to look at the now caught, blushing boy at the top of the stairs.

"Enjoying the show, Vincent?"

Vincent burst into giggles as his father did the same. His mother punches his father's arm softly to get his attention.

"We really shouldn't show affection in front of him."

"Liberty, it's completely fine. It's better him catching us kissing than seeing other things. Besides," The tall man motions for his son to come down the stairs. Vincent hugs his father tightly around his waist as the two smiled at each other. "One day he'll understand what we have."

Liberty couldn't stop herself from smiling. "If you say so, Grimoire."

Grimoire gives her a quick peck on her lips and returns his attention to his son. "Isn't it past your bedtime kiddo?"

"I couldn't sleep."

"Hmmm. How about we have some vanilla ice cream and then you go to bed?"

The young boy's eyes lit up. "Sure!"

The young boy didn't hear his mother's protests as he dashed to the kitchen. "It's only a little ice cream. I'll be back in a few minutes." Grimoire quickly replies when he notices his wife's playful frown.

Grimoire laughs at his son when he enters the kitchen. The boy opens the freezer door, grabs the vanilla ice cream, and scoops out portions of ice cream into the bowls. He stuffs his mouth full of ice cream after he put some ice cream into the bowls. His father caught him in the act.

"I hope you're not double-dipping."

The boy smiles and closes the ice cream container, places it back into the freezer, and hops into a chair that is at the kitchen's island. His father grabbed his bowl and began eating in silence with his son. This is one way for the father-son duo to bond. They didn't talk to each other much but they are there for each other. Some days, the two could watch television all day and not say a word to each other, but have the time of their lives because they were with each other. As a man, Grimoire is always busy and often has a hard time expressing how much he loves his wife and son, and at times, that caused problems to arise in the house. As time went on, Liberty and Vincent understood Grimoire; he wasn't the lovey-dovey type of man, he's the type of man to provide and be there for them whenever they needed it; a show-one-better-than-one-can-tell-one type of man. A man filled with little words but had so much love for his wife and child.

"All done!" Vincent chirps.

"I think you froze your brain there." Grimoire muses as he notices the slight frown his son made as soon as he was finished with his ice cream.

Vincent places his bowl in the sink and rushes out of the kitchen, and heads towards his room while Grimoire places his bowl and spoon into the sink as well and follows his son to his room.

"Think you can sleep better now?"

Vincent nods. "Nothing like a bowl of ice cream before bed."

Grimoire chuckles. "Don't get used to it, son. Good night."

Grimoire tucks his son into bed and gets up from the bed. As he walks to the door, he hears Vincent shuffling around in the bed. His hand is on the door knob when he turns to look at his son. The elder man is aware of the constant bullying his son endures on a daily basis. He could only hope that one day it would cease and the damage would make his son a stronger man. There have been plenty of times where the young child would call his father to pick him up from school because a kid did a horrible prank on him. Now the calls are less frequent but he knew the pranks are still occurring; he noticed Vincent coming home one day drenched in a pickle-like smell. The boy didn't even have the courage to face his father; he ran up the stairs and immediately got into the shower to rid his body of the stench. Grimoire sighs heavily, refusing to reflect on the past pain his son had endured, and leaves the bedroom. As his father, it's his duty to support and protect his son, but at times, he feels his best isn't good enough.

Liberty stares at him with a perplexed expression when her husband came downstairs with heavy footsteps. The man sighs heavily and plops into the recliner chair. Liberty gives a weak smile over to her husband and messages his shoulders. A cool evening, a man consumed by his thoughts, whose family is also his number one priority, is a recipe for a long night. She's aware of the constant stress her husband goes through. He's such a worry-wart.

"What's the matter?" Liberty's soft voice broke the silence. Her ministrations never falls short.

"Vincent….." Grimoire's mind trails off as he mentions his son. He carefully thinks about his choice of words. Liberty waits patiently. She knew from the beginning that this man is full of complexities, and she accepts that. "…..I worry about him every day." Grimoire finally says. "I wonder would he ever fit into this society."

"Society doesn't have to accept him. As long as we do, that's all that matters."

She gently kisses her husband on the cheek and continues her ministrations. For the next twenty minutes of the night, the couple remains silent, both on their own wave of thought. For Grimoire, it is about Vincent. Vincent is no ordinary twelve year old boy. He has seen the look in his son eyes. Mere words cannot erase the pain and hurt he's enduring. Grimoire fears that Vincent would turn violent and that violence would lead to something more dangerous. All he could do is love and support Vincent.

* * *

Vincent's eyes shoots open. He slowly rises up from the floor and feels the stiffness in his back. He grunts as he lightly hit his back. He couldn't wait for the living room furniture to arrive. Glancing around the living room, he notices Yuffie and Tifa are gone. The sound of running water is coming from upstairs. Since Tifa doesn't live here, he concludes that Yuffie is upstairs taking a shower. He hears soft singing coming from the kitchen and soon after a sizzling sound. The smell of bacon slowly makes its presence in the house. Vincent folds his blanket neatly and places it in the closet near the front entrance.

Placing one foot on the step, Vincent glances in the kitchen to see a pink blur. Assuming it's Tifa, he went up the stairs towards his personal bathroom that's connected to his bedroom. There's wet footprints on the floor coming from the bathroom next to Yuffie's room. He frowns at the scene; Vincent is a very tidy man. It's a trait he got from his late father. As if on cue, Yuffie comes from her bedroom with a towel in her hands. She kneels down and to clean up the mess.

"I know, I know. I'm getting to it."

"I don't see why you would use the guest bathroom when you have one in your room." Vincent retorts.

"Besides last night, when have we had a guest in our home?" Yuffie shoots back. "Besides, as long as I clean up after myself, all is good."

Ignoring Yuffie, Vincent went into his personal bathroom to do his bathroom routine. After that, he gets dressed in a simple black t-shirt and black sweats and went downstairs. As he's going to the kitchen, he hears the radio playing and three voices; two he's familiar with but one he's not familiar with. Furrowing his brows, Vincent eases up on his pace to walk slowly down.

" _You saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyy I'm craaaaazzzzzyyyyy. Cause you don't think I know what you've done."_ Yuffie claps her hands to match the slow-paced beat.

" _But whhhhheeeennnnnn you call me baby, I know I'm not the only one."_ Tifa mimics Yuffie as she pulls the biscuits from the oven. The pair continues to sing as Yuffie grabs some plates and Tifa starts to place the food in serving bowls. Their voices are soft and beautiful. Not like shower singing but true soul and in-tune. Yuffie prepares the table while Tifa brings the food to the table. The two women are still singing, and from what Vincent could hear, it's the fading portion of the chorus. Yuffie grabs the water and orange juice pitchers, and Tifa grabs some silverware.

"Alex! Breakfast is-"

Yuffie stops in her movements. Tifa notices the pause and turns her attention to the source. She clasps her hand over her mouth to muzzle her giggles. A pair of red orbs are staring at the women with what appears to be mirth.

"How long have you been standing there?" Yuffie questions.

"Long enough." Vincent replies. _Is he trying to hide his smirk?!_ Yuffie thought. Tifa breaks into a fit of giggles while Yuffie playfully rolls her eyes and motions for Vincent to sit at the table.

Tifa and Yuffie carries the rest of the food to the table. Silverware begins clinking away as the trio digs into their breakfast. A silent breakfast is tradition for Yuffie and Vincent; absolutely no talking during breakfast. This is something Tifa isn't used to. She always had a bubbly conversation with her Papa. Papa….. She's worried sick about him. Sadness fills her heart as she thought about Papa worrying where she is at and if she's all right. The sudden movement from Tifa makes Yuffie and Vincent look at her suspiciously.

"I'm sorry." Tifa notices the looks from them. "I have to call my Papa."

Tifa hurriedly leaves the kitchen. Vincent and Yuffie continues to eat their breakfast in silence.

"She's so family-oriented." Yuffie spoke as she took a bite out of her biscuit.

Vincent doesn't say anything. He has also observed how the young woman carries herself. She's so professional, nice, and seems to be the type to tend to others needs before hers. Unbeknownst to Vincent and Yuffie, Tifa is indeed that type of woman. Tifa is always last in her life. Her late mother was before her, and after her demise, Papa became her new focus. Deep down it is grueling and tiresome for the brunette to take care of family while working and pursuing a higher degree in her field. She is a therapist and it is an honor for her to help people. Somewhere along the lines of helping people, she forgets to tend to herself. At times, when she does remember to tend to her needs, she often feels guilty for such self-indulging acts and reprimands herself in silence.

"I'm so sorry, Alex and Naomi! I totally forgot about work not to mention my Papa had to call an electrician over because the power outage last night caused a few electrical problems."

Tifa begins rushing around the house, grabbing her clothes from last night and putting on her shoes hastily. She doesn't realize that she still has on Vincent's borrowed pajamas.

"I promise to wash and return these as soon as I can."

"Hold on Tifa. You're giving me motion sickness with all this rushing." Yuffie stands up from the table. "I don't think your car will get you through the day. At least let me make sure you get home."

Tifa's eyes softens by Yuffie's kind offer. "Thanks Naomi. Thank you for your kindness and you too, Alex."

Vincent nods and Tifa leaves the kitchen to make sure she didn't forget anything. Yuffie grabs a container and places Tifa's food inside the container. The woman will need to eat something later on. Yuffie leaves the kitchen to put on something decent while Vincent stays behind to clean the kitchen.

"I'll be back soon Alex!" Yuffie calls out to Vincent from the front entrance.

The door closes behind the pair. Vincent waves his hand in the air, flinging soap suds on the floor, to let Yuffie know he has heard him. After the dishes were cleaned done, he dries his hands with a piece of paper towel, and reaches into his pocket for his phone. As much as he hates it, he has to call Reno. Though he doubt there are any movements made by Genesis and Elena because of the thunderstorm, he has to check in with Reno to see if he knows anything. The problem with Reno is well…..everything. He is an irritant to Vincent and he avoids contact with him as much as he could. Vincent has known Reno for a good portion of his life, and he, by know means, hates the man. He only wishes that the man would simply grow up. The red-haired man is still immature about a lot of things in life. Reno is a great asset to their deadly group, and he's a man with a good heart. It's just that sometimes a person has to be in a certain mood to deal with Reno. It hurts that Vincent has to admit the matter, especially since he's well aware of his situation with Yuffie, but it's the truth. Perhaps that is why things are stagnant between him and Yuffie. Vincent dials his number and grabs a piece of paper for future references.

* * *

Tifa thanks Yuffie for all of her help before she pulls away from in front of her home. Tifa bolts in the home and sees an electrician inside of the kitchen inspecting an electric socket. She calls her Papa's name and seconds later she hears heavy footsteps dashing down the stairs.

"Tifa! Oh I'm so glad you're okay!" He hugs his daughter tightly and Tifa starts explaining what happened to her and how Yuffie and Vincent opened their homes to her.

"I'm glad they were able to help you. I'm fine. You need to get to work."

Work completely slipped her mind again. She darts up the stairs and hurriedly got ready for work. Hopefully Rufus won't be upset.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

The rays from the sunlight peers inside Cloud's car as he drives to his destination: Nibelheim. As promised, Cloud is taking Amanda to the station to make a statement to Reeve Tuesti. The ride is quiet, as to be expected from both ends. Nibelheim brings back a lot of memories for the blond; some memories are bad, and he's the cause of most of them. For his sake, he could just come and go without any tender moments emerging from within him.

The sign reads 'Welcome to the Town of Nibelheim' in bright red letters. Cloud slows his car as he cautiously looks for the station. There are a lot of branches and leaves scattered about on the ground from the thunderstorm two nights ago. Even in a quiet town like Nibelheim, citizens quickly got on their feet to clean the town. Some were town workers while others are volunteers wearing bright yellow vests on. Teamwork is nothing shy in Nibelheim. It warms Cloud immensely. He wishes togetherness is a factor back at home in Midgar. Locations of local business and landmarks may have changed in Nibelheim, not the hearts of the citizens. 

Reeve had given the blond directions, but even with help, the streets were a little foreign for him. He manages to find the station and on their way in, Amanda is immediately intimidated. Several people are walking about; some are on the phone while others are talking to one another about a case. It doesn't appear to be as busy as typical police stations such as Midgar and Junon.

Cloud walks to the front desk to tell the secretary about the situation while Amanda hangs back and looks at the bulletin board. There are a few 'Have You Seen Me' signs. None of the people in question are from Nibelheim, nor were they abducted in Nibelheim. For a split second, she ponders the thought about moving to Nibelheim. It seems like nothing too much happens here but maybe a few snatched purses.

Moments later Cloud motions for Amanda to follow him and the secretary to Reeve's office. She walks slowly behind them with her head low. She feels uneasy as she enters Reeve's office. Reeve politely closes the door, giving Amanda a small smile before going behind his desk and motioning for his guests to sit in the two chairs in front of him.

"Please excuse my office. I've been really lazy as far as tidying this place up." He notes. Several stacks of papers and folders are misplaced and thrown about in an unruly manner. Reeve is usually tidy and well-organized within his workplace. There has been a number of attacks in Rocket Town and even Junon, which have been keeping Reeve busier than usual. Don't get him wrong, the money is great, but it's dirty money if one isn't able to complete the task one is paid to do. At least that's how Reeve sees it.

Noticing Reeve's attempt, though weak, on breaking the ice, Cloud simply replies with a nod and thank you. Returning the gesture, Reeve turns on the 'serious button' within himself.

"Now, from what I hear from Mr. Strife, you were attacked a few days go correct, Ms. Gainsborough?"

Terrified eyes meets with a pair of cerulean eyes, silently asking is this okay. "His reputation speaks for itself." Cloud says firmly and with no hesitation.

Amanda's eyes roams the office. Plenty awards and trophies are perfectly placed along multiple shelves. All of the degrees Reeve has ever earned are mounted behind him on the wall. There's a picture on the desk that shows a much younger Reeve and a woman he's holding tenderly. It appears the photo was taken back in his college days and the woman he's holding is his lover.

"Rosemary….she was such a lovely woman." Reeve speaks as he reminicses about his days with her.

"Was a lovely woman?" She notices the use of the past tense word.

"She was shot and killed in an armed robbery." Amanda clasps her hands over her mouth. She didn't mean to bring about terrible memories.

"It's okay." Reeve smiles. "Her death was the reason why I took my studies very seriously to be in the position I am now. And you wanna know something else?"

When Amanda didn't reply, Reeve continues. "The police didn't catch the guy. For years the man that took the woman I loved away from me got away until eight years ago." He slowly leans back in a more comfortable position and sighs heavily but it isn't laced with sadness. It is more like a wave of relief. "Don't get me wrong, I do miss her but she had shown me that people need to get put behind bars for the things that they've done. They shouldn't be allowed to roam around so freely."

Amanda nods without saying a word. She now understands why Reeve is able to do the things he do. Cloud feels a wave of relief himself. He is right to bring Amanda to him.

"This is why I need you to tell me what happened a few nights ago." Reeve concludes and waits for Amanda to tell him the tale.

For the next ten minutes, Amanda explained what happened to her that terrible night. She isn't even sure why they chose to abduct her. She informs Reeve the descriptions of her abductors, and she realizes that she didn't get a real good look at them. Sure, she'd saw them but she was so petrified by her fear that she didn't take a good look of the perpetrators or her surroundings. When it came to her savior, all she could recall was that he's tall, slender, and have hazel-like eyes, though she could tell they were a deeper shade of hazel than normal. She mentions that small detail to Reeve in case it may come in handy. Not everyone has very distinct eyes like those.

"Believe it or not, this is a pretty solid statement." Reeve says as he glances over his notes. "I'm pretty sure I know the answer to this, but you didn't get to hear their last names did you?"

Amanda sorrowfully shakes her head. Reeve gives her a small smile and jots down a few notes. "I'll start looking into this personally. Cloud, if you can, I would appreciate it if you stay in town for a few days. Just until I can kick start this investigation."

"I'll be vacationing in Rocket Town for two weeks. If you need me, I could come here."

Reeve nods happily. "Thank you so much, Cloud." He glances at Amanda and then back at Cloud. "Protect her."

"Aeris will have my head if I don't."

The two men nods respectfully. "Amanda, do you mind waiting at the entrance for me? I have to speak with Reeve for a moment in private."

Amanda nods and leaves the office. Reeve is slightly confused as to why Cloud wants to speak to him privately. Once the blond felt the young woman was far away, he turns his attention to the taller, short-haired man with a serious look upon his face.

"There have been recent murders in Midgar lately."

"You think they are somewhat tied to this particular case?" Reeve questions.

"Yes and no. As you know, I work in the homicide department, but the murders are so bizarre. The victims have a troubled past, and by looking at the crime scenes, multiple people are committing these crimes."

Reeve thought about Cloud's words for a moment before responding. "Hmm. Do you think this Genesis and Elena have anything to do with it? In my professional opinion, they are sex-crazed fiends and killing is a last resort deed."

"Again, yes and no. This crime happened in Rocket Town. Isn't it bizarre that something like this just randomly happened so close to Nibelheim?"

"It is bizarre." Reeve agrees. The press would be at the station soon and once he makes his statement, the people here will begin to get uneasy. "I have to solve this soon. I can't have the citizens in this town worry."

"I'm joining you." The blond doesn't leave any room for a debate. "If this isn't solved in two weeks, I'll ask for an extended stay from my boss and a statement from you saying you need my assistance. Seeing as you're the sheriff, you have that sort of power."

Reeve smiles. "That I do. All right then. Have it your way Cloud. This crime seems a little personal for not only for you but for Midgar and Amanda as well. I want you to know that this case may require extra work."

It is now Cloud's turn to be confused. The questioning look he gives Reeve makes the older man chuckle. "If we're to catch these two in the act, we need to do a little spy work is all."

Cloud's features softens upon hearing this. "Leave that to me. You just give me the information."

"I'm glad to see that you're adamant to solve this case."

The two men nods towards each other and shook each other's hand. Cloud leaves the office and guides Amanda to the car while Reeve stays behind and begins his research based on the information he was given. Hopefully the two people who committed this crime lived in Nibelheim. If they do, the search would be easier but catching such criminals will not be easy and he has to be prepared for the worse. If they are able to travel to Midgar, Junon, and Rocket Town in such a short span, there's no telling where they may be at currently.

* * *

Cloud is driving back to Nibelheim after dropping Amanda off back at Rocket Town. He told Aeris that he needed some fresh air. He could tell she didn't buy his story not one bit, but she let him go. Here he is, supposed to be on vacation, but instead, he's working. He could never rid himself from work. He wants to solve this case as quickly as possible and maybe it'll help solving the other cases back in Midgar. Behind every evil doer, is a psychological background. That's where the professional help comes into play. Sure, Cloud could make a general profile about a criminal but only a person who specializes in psychology can really understand a murderer, maybe even sympathize with them. Acting sympathetic towards a criminal always rubs Cloud the wrong way. How can one feel empathy or sympathy towards a criminal, especially one that takes the lives of others? Shaking his head furiously, he pushes such derogatory thoughts out of his head and continues towards Nibelheim.

When he arrives at his destination, he parks his car outside of a youth center that, according to the locals, a bright young woman works at Monday through Friday. He hears from the locals she's a dedicated, young woman whose passion oozes when psychology is being talked about. He needs that type of person to help him. He was honestly surprised he was able to get information just by stopping by a gas station and asking a local about someone who specializes in psychology or mental health in general. It shouldn't come off as too much a shock. After all, this is Nibelheim, a town filled with helpful inhabitants. He shouldn't expect less from his childhood town.

He walks inside the center and is amazed how tidy, clean, and warm-inviting the center is. Several vending machines and friendly pamphlets about sex, religion, and other cities are perfectly aligned in bookshelves along the walls near the front desk. He notices some directions leading to a clinic, human resources, and therapy.

"Excuse me ma'am. I'm with the Midgar Police Department, and I heard the therapist here is great. I want her professional opinion about a case I'm working on."

The secretary smiles in response. "Just give me one second, sir."

Cloud thanks the woman and waits patiently for the secretary to do what she needs to do. Moments later the secretary spoke to Cloud. "Sir, just go down the hall to the left, and she'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Cloud walks down the hallway and knocks on the door. A soft voice tells him to come in but he pauses. That voice sounds so familiar. _It can't be…._ The voice tells him to come in again but this time with slight hesitation. The woman isn't sure if she actually heard a knock or not. Slowly opening the door, Cloud sees the one person he never wanted to see again.

"….Tifa…"

The brunette looks at the blond with shock. She never thought she would see him again. "….Cloud?"


	8. Why He Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

"Cloud?" Tifa repeats in a questioning tone as she stands up from her chair. Cloud is the man that left her so many years ago without a word or warning. She waited on him for months but he never showed up. Hostility, rage, and sadness brims her eyes but she doesn't dare give the blond the satisfaction. To her, there's no such thing as a perfect relationship. There are good ones and there are bad ones. She would have liked to think theirs was a good one, and if it wasn't, why didn't Cloud come to her to at least try to change it?

Placing her right hand on her hip, trying not to display any venom or sass in her tone and body movements, Tifa spoke. "What are you doing here?"

 _She has grown to be a fine woman._ Cloud takes a quick look at the woman in front of him. The last time he saw her, she was just a mere teenager who was finishing up high school. She always talked about her passion for psychology. Looks like she made it, and that makes him happy, but the happiness is short lived. He had scorned this woman before, and hoped to have never seen her again. He is a coward for hurting her and a bigger coward for avoiding her.

"I'm a homicide detective for the Midgar Police Department." He pulls his shield from his pocket, never taking his eyes off of Tifa; she too had kept her gaze on him, even when he pulled out his shield. "I want your professional opinion about a case."

Surprisingly to the blond, she smiles and nods. "Sure. What can I help you with?"

He's a bit taken back. He expected her to scream or at the very least throw something at him. She was impaled by the knife he placed inside her heart so many years ago yet she said nothing about it. He couldn't help but to frown and question her actions. Slowly stepping towards the chairs that are in front of her desk, he let his thoughts consume his mind. He couldn't comprehend the scene. Sure, they are at her work, and could understand somewhat as to why she doesn't want to talk about the past here, but completely ignoring the situation is something Cloud didn't anticipate from her.

"Tif, I-

"My name is Tifa Lockhart and I like to keep things professional." Her tone is firm but not forced. Deep inside her, way deep inside of her heart, she feels that pain he left years ago. That pain she got rid of long ago when he abandoned her. This man was her everything and would have placed her life before his. Unfortunately for her, the feeling wasn't mutual and that taught her a valuable lesson in life: never make anyone a priority if you're nothing more than an option to them.

Seeing Tifa's almond eyes is beginning to make Cloud uneasy and the tension isn't in his favor either. He sits down in one of the chairs and grabs a small notepad from his pocket and grabs a black pen from the cup on Tifa's desk.

"I'm investigating an attempted rape. One of my good friends was attacked a few nights ago, and recently there have been a lot of attacks going on in Midgar."

"I've heard." Tifa recalled hearing about a murder recently happening in Midgar when she was dropping her Papa off to work. "I've heard they're happening too common."

"Yes, they are. But the weird thing is that each victim had a jaded past. This friend of mind may have been a victim of one of the murderers in Midgar."

Tifa is genuinely interested. She quirks her eyebrow and intertwines her fingers, her interest in Cloud's case never leaving her. "You think there's more than one killer?"

Cloud nods and explains how some of the victims were left. Tifa nods in agreement and understands why Cloud would come to such a conclusion.

"So you're saying that the murders in Midgar are possibly linked to the recent attack of your friend?" Tifa sums up and Cloud nods "How did you come up with such a conclusion? You don't have concrete evidence, not to mention we're talking about two places; one place has a lot of crime while the other have moderate. And not to mention, your friends seems like a law abiding citizen who doesn't seems to have so much as a traffic ticket in her name, which completely contradicts the having a jaded past angle. I'm sorry but if you want more of an opinion about your friend being attacked, I'm gonna need more evidence, however, that's a good hunch about multiple killers in Midgar."

Cloud nodded in respect as he folds the notebook back to the front and places it back inside his pocket. Tifa quickly turns towards the window, peering at nothing in particular. She just wants the blond to leave. She hears Cloud shuffling about before the noise ceased. She could feel his cerulean gaze upon her. Swallowing away a lump in her throat, she refuses to turn his way. Getting the hint, Cloud quietly turns and leaves the office. The click from the door is proof that Cloud is now gone, and when Tifa turns around, she is relived he didn't pretend to leave. She glances at her desk and notices a white card that wasn't there before.

_Meet me at the coffee shop on 17_ _th_ _Street this Friday at 11 a.m._

She sighs heavily and plops into her chair. She was able to keep up her tough girl act for this encounter but next time, she isn't so sure if she could manage her emotions, if there will ever be a next time, that is.

* * *

A few days have gone by since Tifa had appeared on the deadly duo's doorstep. Since then, Yuffie was surprised she haven't seen the young brunette since that night but it was probably for the best. After all, they were killers, and no matter how much she, Vincent, and the rest of their small organization would defend their point-of-view, society wouldn't accept them. It's the harsh reality that each member accepted as time went on with the killings. Yuffie was tapping away on her tablet, looking for Genesis's background information. The taps on the screen were harsher than the previous one as time went on; she was having a rather difficult time finding any information on Genesis. This didn't sit well with her at all. She slammed the tablet down, crossed her arms, and pouted defiantly at the tablet while shoving her tongue out at the inanimate object. Vincent walked in and noticed her mood. Without saying a word to her, he grabbed the tablet and observed what she was looking for.

"It's best that we learn as much as we can about Genesis as possible." She uncrossed her arms but kept her frown on the tablet. "Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time finding him in the Nibelheim database."

"Maybe he doesn't have a record." Vincent noticed that Yuffie somehow hacked into the Nibelheim police records. He could never understand how she was so good at hacking things, but she could never understand why he was so good with guns. Both of their talents worked hand-in-hand so neither one of them complained about their 'mysterious' talents. "Perhaps he changed his name to something else."

"If he went through changing his name legally, then the process should be somewhere in the files that I've managed to get from the courthouse." Yuffie pointed to the yellow folder on the table. It was filled with court cases involving name changes.

"You've said the key word: 'legally'. If a person wanted to desperately change their name, all is needed is a lie and a pitiful-looking face." Yuffie frowned at Vincent. "Simply put, you can lie and say you lost your social security card or birth certificate to officials and they will change it for you."

"That seems reasonable. People lie about anything these days." Yuffie drummed her fingers on the table. Even if Vincent's theory was correct, there should be something somewhere that has the process on file. She grabbed the tablet from Vincent's hands and began to search for the record.

"Check the Hall of Records for this town." Vincent got up from the chair and went into the kitchen. "The file should be there somewhere. In the meantime, I'll check in with Reno about Elena's whereabouts."

Yuffie waved her hand as a response saying she heard him. Deep inside Vincent's gut he felt like Genesis knew he was being watched so catching him would be hard. As long as Genesis didn't hurt anyone while Vincent and Yuffie planned his murder and actually execute it, Vincent didn't mind the length.

* * *

"How long must you keep me waiting?!" Elena tried her best to disguise the venom in her voice. She is growing tired of Genesis putting her on the back burner for no reason. When they were first involved with each other, he promised her she would always be her top priority, even when she knew about his wife. Genesis's goody-too-shoes of a wife didn't fulfill his needs sexually. When Elena met Genesis at a bar one night, he shared a vision with her, and she made it come true later on that night. Since then, she has been his permanent side chick for quite some time. It angers her that she is now being put off to the side; she's too spoiled and now sexually starved.

She allows Genesis to respond to her but her frown is still plastered on her face. Without saying a word, she hit the red icon on her phone and slams it inside her purse. She waves towards the bartender to get another drink. She understands that the thunderstorm hit Nibelheim pretty hard but that was earlier in the week. It is now Thursday night, and she demands time and attention from him. The waiter came back with the drink. She rudely throws some money on the counter, and put the glass to her lips, not even saying thank you to the confused waiter. He looks at the money and notices the several hundred-dollar bills Elena threw. Her drink is expensive but not _that_ expensive. Without a word, he takes the money and tends to another customer. Normally, the bartender would give customers a hard time when being treated, but the money told him mentally to take the money and run like hell.

"You may want to slow down, ma'am. Drinking like that is hazardous to your health."

Elena gulps down the remains of her alcoholic beverage and turns her attention to a red-haired man who invites himself next to her. He waves the bartender down and orders himself and Elena a drink, despite giving her lip about her drinking habits. All a part of his tactics.

"You don't even know my drink." She rolls her eyes at the man's feeble attempt in trying to impress her.

The red-haired man chuckles. _She just don't know she's making it easy for me._ "Three shots of vodka, with a splash of lemon and cranberry juice with salt around the rim." He smirks at her surprised expression.

"I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"That's because you are too busy being angry over nothing." He couldn't stop the chuckle that escaped his lips when he saw Elena's blush. "I'm Tavern." He extends his hand.

"Elena." She takes his hand. The bartender comes back with their drinks. Tavern thanks him and gives him a hefty tip. The bartender walks away with a grin on his face. Tonight is his lucky night.

"Why are you so mad over nothing? If someone doesn't want you, drop them."

Elena raises her eyebrows. "Is this the part where you tell me how beautiful I am and how I can do better?"

"What's the point in telling you something you already know?"

The way he spoke his words turned Elena on. She blushes again and took a sip of her drink, her eyes never leaving Tavern.

"Costa del Sol is such a beautiful place." Tavern notes. "Don't waste your energy on something so small in a place like this. I know a nice spot to gaze at the stars. Wanna join me?"

Maybe she could use this red-haired man as a stress reliever. She smiles and nods happily. Tavern finishes the rest of his drink and excuses himself to the men's bathroom. Before entering, he shoots a glance at Elena, who is looking into a compact mirror. Shaking his head, the red-haired man walks inside, grabs his phone out of his pocket and dials a number. As the phone is ringing, he looks below into every stall to ensure he is the only one in the restroom.

"This woman puts the capital W in the word whore." He spoke in a low voice in case someone comes into the restroom. "I have her practically drooling into my pants."

"Whatever you do, wrap it up, Reno." The woman on the other end spoke. "And don't kill her. We need her alive to get all the information we can out of her."

"Speaking of information, how's the background check coming for Genesis?"

Yuffie let out a huge sigh. "Not good. Vincent and Sephiroth suspects that Genesis may have lied to get his name changed. I may have to go to the Hall of Records in Nibelheim but the problem with that is that I have to have the proper credentials in order to access private files."

"You can't hack into the system?" The young woman can hack into the highest paid company computer system in Gaia if she wanted to. It's a surprise to Reno that she couldn't get into the system.

"Trust me, I'm very unhappy about that." Yuffie mopes. "Even Sephiroth tried on his end, and he can't get through."

"Don't stress about it too much. Genesis is giving Elena the cold shoulder so I don't think they'll be doing anything anytime soon. Just keep an eye out on Genesis."

"Will do. Reno, be careful. I talk a lot of shit about you, but what you're doing is messing with a crazy, sex-crazed bitch. Despite you being an asshole, I care about you, and I don't want anything to happen to you."

Reno is touched by her words. "That really means a lot, Yuffie. I will, trust me. You'll be the first person I'll call if anything goes sour."

He ends the call, and looks into the mirror before heading out. Elena had just put her mirror inside her purse and smiles when she sees Reno appear from the restroom.

"Ready to see the most beautiful night sky you have ever seen?"

"Lead the way." Elena smiles as she hooks her arm with Reno's. Getting the blonde to spill her guts to him will be an easy task. Who knew him being a player would actually come in handy?

* * *

There was a cool breeze coming and going every so often. It's actually a good thing that he picked a coffee shop. The blond slightly shivered as the wind blew through his gravity-defying spiked hair. He looks at his watch and notices it is 11:15. He hopes she read his message. He owes her an explanation, and it took every ounce out of him not to say anything when he saw her a few days ago. He sees her walking towards the table seconds later. She has on a beautiful red dress with a black leather jacket and black ankle boots. Her hair is done in small curls and it appears she has a bit of lips gloss on.

The lip gloss made her lips look fuller and he found himself starring at them a little longer than he should have. In fact, he is practically undressing her with his eyes, and that thought made him tear his eyes away from her walking figure. He felt that same sensation he felt in his heart a few days ago when he had first seen her. She is such a beautiful woman; a beautiful woman that he had scorned. She finally makes it to the table and sits across from him. He hands her the cappuccino. She thanks him and took a sip and sighs happily as she withdrew the cup from her lips.

"You remembered."

"Of course I did." He slowly looks up to her face.

"Cloud, are we here to go down memory lane?" Tifa questions.

"…..Somewhat. I…was surprised to see you earlier this week."

Tifa nods. "Same here. As you can see, I've made it successfully in my field, but I'm still climbing the ladder."

"I'm proud of you." Cloud chuckles a little. He is relieved that Tifa did the same. "But….I owe you an explanation."

"That you do." Tifa relaxes her shoulders and gives Cloud her undivided attention as she sips her cappuccino.

* * *

Cloud practically ripped the white envelope open to see his results. He planned on joining the war against Wutai and with his service, he hoped to get a fully paid education and major in criminal justice. He leaped for joy like a ten year old boy on Christmas Day. He had gotten the news he had wanted, but it was short lived once he read the details as to when he would be leaving. In the letter, he was to pack up and leave on the first train leaving to Junon next week to board the submarine heading to Corel Prison. He longed for this his entire life, and he failed to share this information with his sweetheart. He figured there was no point in telling her his decision of wanting to fight in the war because he wasn't too sure if he met the proper criteria. The news would hurt her, but it's better to tell her now. He grabbed his phone and dialed his sweetheart's number. He hated to do this; he didn't want to hear her pained voice when he tell her the news, but he had to.

"Hi Cloud." Her cheery voice always made him happy. "What's up?"

"Hey Tif. I need to talk to you."

"Oh…okay." Tifa hesitated. "About what?"

"It's nothing too bad. Can you come over to my house?"

"Sure. I'm on my way."

Ten minutes later, Tifa was in front of his house. He opened the door and stepped aside to let her come him, stealing a glance at her face. It was saddened, and he knew she probably thought he brought her over there to end their relationship. They went into the living room and sat down on the couch.

"So….what's this about?" Tifa asked, wanting the strange feeling away from her stomach before she threw up her dinner.

Cloud inhaled deeply. "I've joined the war to fight Wutai. I received the paperwork today and it said that I have to leave next week."

"Really?" Tifa was relieved she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. He didn't understand her excitement. This reaction was the complete opposite of what he thought her reaction would be. "That's good but take care of yourself."

"You're not angry or sad that I've kept my interest from you?"

"Actually, I had a hunch that you were interested in joining the war. I saw history books and maps on several buildings in Wutai in your room poorly hidden. I knew you weren't studying for fun."

Cloud smiled nervously. "Sorry for keeping it from you. I thought you would overreact."

"It's not a problem but please, come back safe."

He nodded and pressed his lips against hers. When she didn't pull away, he deepened the kiss and guided her onto her back. Her moan sent a sensation in his cock, causing him to rub himself and moan slightly. She broke away for a moment and looked into his cerulean eyes. They've promised each other they would engage in sex when they've both felt like they were ready. Before the question escape his lips, Tifa began kissing him again, guiding his hands onto her breasts. It was their first time, and it was painful for Tifa at first, but her moans and low whispers of Cloud's name being said over and over masked that fact. He promised her he would return, but he never did, not to her.

* * *

After eight weeks of enduring drills and random wake up calls from the sergeants, Cloud and his crew was finally able to relax. They were given the chance to go out and have fun for once. It had been a while since the blond was able to have fun. He put the finishing touches on his letter that he was going to mail to Tifa, telling her all the hell he went through. His body was sore, and he honestly didn't want to go out; he was only going because Barret, his war buddy, was making him go out.

He gathered the money on his desk along with his letter and walked out of his bunker with Barret in front of him.

"Definitely gettin' laid tonight! Damn it's been so long!"

"Calm down, Barret." Cloud rolled his eyes. "It's just a night out."

"Yeah, well, whatever. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of beatin' the meat myself."

Cloud frowned. "What the hell Barret! Now I'm gonna have a mental image."

"Sorry Spikey, but I'm just sayin'-

"And I'm just saying! Too much information about your personal life."

Barret made a funny noise with his lips and waved at Cloud.

After the night out, the men went into their bunkers and called it a night. Everyone was sound asleep except for one occupant. Cloud had his cerulean eyes fixed on the darkness on the ceiling above. He went out with his war buddies to see a movie. Afterwards, they went to a local arcade, which the management paid for all expenses in honor of them being in SOLDIER and fighting against Wutai. There were a lot of beautiful women and that made Cloud guilty. Tifa was the woman he was with yet he craved for the women that he saw.

They were more than willing to do anything with him, and he would've if his other half didn't kick in. Tifa was the woman for him, or so he thought and tried to convince himself. She was there for every fall in his life, yet he betrayed her. He clutched the letter in his hand and starred at it, knowing he couldn't really see it in the dark. He aimlessly threw it on the floor. He didn't deserve her. His hormones got the best of him, and even though he didn't do anything with the women he saw that night, he still betrayed her because he wanted to do more. It hit him that he's still a young man who is just now seeing the world; a world that's contained with a lot of beautiful women and endless possibilities. The more he thought about it, the more he realized he wasn't ready to establish such a committed relationship to Tifa. If he was ready, why is he having second thoughts about their relationship? Did he really love Tifa like he said he did? If he didn't send the letter, maybe she would think that he's dead. He felt terrible for being a coward and so weak, practically giving into the temptations like his war buddies did. He spent the remainder of the evening convincing himself that Tifa was who he wanted; he didn't want to explore his options, nor have a few flings here and there. The more he tried to tell himself otherwise, the sadder he got. The constant lying didn't mask the truth. Swallowing hard, Cloud rolled to his side and decided it was best to leave Tifa alone. Even though she's been there for him, he just couldn't find it in himself to commit to her.

* * *

"I'm sorry." Cloud says after minutes of his explanation went by. "After seeing those women, the urge of wanting to have them filled me, and then I realized I couldn't be committed to you any longer."

"It's a tough pill to swallow." Tifa admits. "But it's the truth. I really wished you didn't abandon me. It hurt me deeply that you just ran off like that."

"I'm sorry. I was a coward then, and even though the truth is out, I still am."

No words are exchanged between the two for a couple minutes. Tifa finishes her cappuccino and throws the container in the trash. She gets up from her chair and Cloud did the same.

"I have something I need to take care of so I'm gonna go."

Cloud nods. "I understand. I was wondering….if you're available, can you help me with the case? Once I find some concrete evidence, of course."

Tifa nods and smiles. "Sure."

Another awkward silence is exchanged between the two until Tifa turns and walks away. Cloud looks at her as she walks away. He sighs heavily when the feelings starts rushing back to him. He pushes away any past thoughts of Tifa aside, throws away his container, and heads to his car. Tifa is walking back to her car, and she feels the tears welling up in her eyes. She sniffs them away and continues her stride to her car. Cloud's apology is commendable, though she feels it is a weak reason.

People are entitled to an opinion, she understands that. What she doesn't understand is how Cloud was able to walk away from her after everything they have been through? He wasn't some average joe she met in high school, and dated for three months before the relationship ended. They had known each other since they were mere children. Always carried a torch for one another. Cloud was the first boy she kissed, loved, and made love to. From sneaking out at night to hang out and gaze at the stars to spending two days completely mad at each over something silly, they've endured it all, yet he walked away as if it meant nothing to him. She heard him out, and got his side of the story, yet she's still hurt. She wouldn't dare shed a tear over a man who didn't have the decency to tell her the truth as to whether or not he wanted to be with her. That man simply wasn't worth it.


	9. The Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vincent, Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Reno formed a deadly bound among one another. They were undercover vigilantes for people who got away with their previous crimes. Killing isn't as easy as it used to be when life rears its ugly head in their faces, reminding them to enjoy it before it's too late. There's just some loose ends they need to tie before that happens.

"Man I'm super pissed that I have to do this the hard way." Yuffie mutters to herself as she approaches the Hall of Records.

Going to such a place at one in the morning will be a difficult task for the petite woman, or at least she thought so. When she was finally able to see the area in front of her, she notices a small security booth. She slowly approaches the booth carefully and smiles when she notices an old man leaned back in the chair sound asleep. Over to his right are three monitors that displays a horrible image of three hallways in the building, none of which is a direct path to the room Yuffie needs to go to in order to collect the records she needs. Satisfied that her mission is now one hundred times easier, Yuffie went to the back of the building and enters carefully. Even though there are only three cameras, she doesn't want to be noticed by the cameras. She takes a glance at her homemade map that she drew at home before continuing through the building. One left turn and three right turns later, she finds herself in the filing room.

Yuffie glances up to find the letter R. Assuming that the files are filed by the user's current last name, and not the old one, finding Genesis's shouldn't be a problem. It only takes Yuffie five minutes to find Genesis's file and she smiles with glee when she immediately discovers that Genesis did in fact changed his name some time ago. She doesn't want to waste any time in reading the file so she swiftly shoves the file in her bag and closes the cabinet. She slowly makes her trek out of the building until finally she is out and home free.

* * *

Vincent just finished getting dressed for the day. He walks downstairs into the kitchen where he sees Yuffie plating a stack of pancakes on a plate.

"So, our little friend used to go by the name of Genesis Marshall," Yuffie speaks in a rather loud tone. "And get this, he was raised in an upscale place in Junon. He moved to Nibelheim when he was 11 after his father's death."

"Any reason why?" Reno's voice echoed from the phone on the counter. Yuffie scans the file more closely as she motions for Vincent to grab a plate. Before doing so, he went into the fridge and grabs the jug of orange juice and pours himself and Yuffie a glass and returns the jug in the fridge. He then grabs himself a plate and sits down at the island.

"Hmmm. It doesn't really specify why he and his mother relocated to Nibelheim after his father's death, but it does look like his father served in the armed forces in Junon." Yuffie comments as she continues to study the file.

"Anything noteworthy?" Vincent asks as he took a bite of his pancakes that Yuffie placed on his plate moments ago. "Something had to happen for him to change his name."

"Maybe he didn't have a close relationship with his father and wanted nothing to do with him?" Reno suggests.

Yuffie shakes her head. "It has to be more than that. The answer is in my face. I just don't have all of the pieces yet." Yuffie shuts the file shut. "I'm gonna enjoy my breakfast and come back to this later. How's Elena?"

"Still upset that Genesis is giving her the cold shoulder. Come to find out, her father abandoned her and her mother when she was very young. Typical damaged woman with daddy issues."

"Got her opening up to you already?" Yuffie questions in a surprised tone.

"Not exactly. When alcohol is in your system, you'll spill your guts to anyone who would listen."

"Keep her talking. If you keep her talking, we may be able to find out more about Genesis." Vincent comments.

"Will do." Reno agrees. "You two make sure Genesis doesn't try a solo project without Elena. That screw up may have rattled him the wrong way."

Yuffie ends the call and begins to eat her breakfast with Vincent. After the two finished their breakfast, Yuffie makes a quick call to Sephiroth to update him on the situation while Vincent cleans the kitchen.

"Block any and all attacks that Genesis may try to do. Also, blend in with the town. Meet people and get familiar with your area without blowing your cover." Sephiroth comments as he jots down a few notes on his notepad. He likes to keep track of small details in case his trio may have forgotten something. It may not seem like much, but it has helped them execute their targets in the past.

Yuffie hangs up the phone and reads the microwave clock. "I'm gonna try to find some fresh meat in town to cook later on, and maybe just walk around."

"Fine." Vincent answers as he wipes away crumbs from the counter. Moments later, he hears Yuffie leave out of the front door, leaving Vincent to himself. _I guess I should canvas the area as well._ Vincent thought.

He grabs his keys that are on the table and heads out of the door. He hops into his car and started driving, with no destination in mind. As he drove around, he takes notice to other landmarks such as schools, gas stations, and playgrounds. Children are bustling in the park as their parents chats amongst each other, but keeping a careful eye on their children. Since it is a huge crowd, Vincent pays more attention to his driving. Out of the corner of his right eye, he sees Tifa getting out of her car. He looks up and notices that he is in front of a youth center. Vincent slowly pulls into the parking lot and pushes a button in his car to make the window go down.

"Is this where you work?" Vincent asks, hoping he didn't startle her.

Tifa turns around, slightly surprised but is relived when she sees Vincent. "Hey Alex. Yep I work here. Thankfully the weekend is almost here. I'm dying for a break."

Vincent nods and begins to drive off when Tifa waves her hand and stops him. "I want to thank you again for everything. How about a thank you dinner at Ray's Cafe tomorrow? Bring Naomi as well."

Vincent is reluctant to accept her offer. He's here to kill someone, not get involved with anyone. He nods, against his better judgment, and Tifa smiles. She reaches into her bag, grabs a pen, and scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it to him.

"That's my phone number. Call me later when you have time and we'll iron out the details. Oh, and I'll give you back your pajamas as well."

She smiles brightly and waves Vincent goodbye before doing a slight jog towards the entrance of the building. Vincent places the piece of paper on the passenger side of the car and slowly starts to pull off. His brakes comes to a screeching halt when sees a blur of red hair get out of a car. Vincent's brows furrows when he sees Genesis and a young boy approach Tifa. The two converse with one another, while the boy looks down. Genesis opens the door and allows Tifa to enter into the building first, followed by the younger boy, and then himself. Vincent drives off and heads home. That dinner with Tifa will definitely happen.

* * *

Tifa places her belongings on her desk, while Genesis and Tyler occupies the two chairs in front of her. She slowly calms her mind. At first, she was against the idea of meeting with Genesis face to face since the day she witnessed his atrocities, but she also needs to help Tyler. Taking another inaudible breath in, Tifa sits down in the chair behind her desk, while facing the father-son pair in front of her.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice, Mr. Rhapsodos."

"It's fine, Ms. Lockheart." Genesis responds. "Tyler really wanted me to be here."

Glancing at Tyler, who is staring at the floor, Tifa continues. "Yes. Tyler has really been struggling with the recent loss of his mother, which I'm sorry for your loss as well." Genesis nods and Tifa continues. "But I wanted to personally meet with you to see if I can help close the distance between the two of you."

Genesis again nods and turns towards Tyler. "Well Tyler, let me start by saying, I do miss her alot, but I can't change what's undone. I wish she was here too but she's not. Not anymore. She wouldn't want us to mope like this."

Tyler shakes his head. "I don't believe she would hang herself, Dad. Mom was a caring woman. She wouldn't do this to us."

Genesis frowns. "You think someone killed her?"

Tyler hesitates before responding. Tifa quietly awaits his response as well. "I don't know. What I do know is that Mom loved us, and she just wouldn't abandoned us like this."

Genesis shakes his head. "You have to face the facts, Tyler. She….hung herself."

Tyler jumps out of his chair and huffs loudly, causing Genesis and Tifa to flinch. "Why?! Why is it that you don't care?!"

"Watch your tone!" Genesis growls. "I do care but I can't change anything! I have to move on just like you!"

Fresh, hot tears seeps away from Tyler's eyes. Without a word, he slowly steps back and runs out of the door. Genesis sighs and looks at Tifa, who is observing what just transpired in front of her.

"I'm sorry to have waste your time, Ms. Lockheart."

Tifa waves her hand. "It was no trouble."

Genesis wishes her a good day before walking out of the room to look for Tyler. Behind Genesis is a woman who isn't convinced by his performance. "And the Worst Acting Award goes to you, Genesis Rhapsodos." Tifa grits as her eyes narrows at the red-haired man.

* * *

"Was Tifa able to give you anything to build on?" Reeve's voice echoes through Cloud's hotel bathroom.

"No but she did seem to like my theory. She said all I have to do is prove it. I should go out and canvas the town more for suspicious activity." Cloud answers as he dries his hair off with his towel. He wraps another towel securely around his waist before exiting the bathroom.

"That's a good idea. I'll do the same as well. Keep me posted."

Cloud hits the 'End' icon on his phone and plops on the bed.

"I got here a few days ago, and I'm already exhausted." Cloud murmurs to himself.

Aeris decided to stay at Amanda's house while Cloud decided to check into a hotel. For some reason, Aeris has been acting strange lately. He knew he had made her upset a few weeks ago by spending more time on the case than with her, but after a while, she had become withdrawn and more into her phone. Every time she would get a phone call, she would step away from Cloud and take it privately. Could she be cheating on him or planning something? He doesn't want to ponder on it too much. Aeris isn't above surprising him. A few months ago for his birthday, she was acting suspicious for weeks up until his birthday. She had planned a surprise party at the office for him. Maybe that's what she's doing now? He doesn't want to ask to blow anything she's planning. Aeris is the type of woman who wants to see everyone happy. Maybe she's planning something to lift Amanda's spirits? Regardless, he hopes there's nothing other than a surprise going on with her.

Cloud turns completely on his back and stares at the ceiling for a few minutes. Thoughts of Amanda and the murders fills his head. He sighs as he turned off his lamp. Tifa's beautiful eyes and warm smile begins to creep into his mind for what feels like the twentieth time of the day. Inhaling heavily and squeezing his eyes shut, he tries his damnedest to dismiss those thoughts.

* * *

Yuffie checks over her outfit one last time before turning off the bathroom light. She walks downstairs and into the kitchen, where she finds Vincent drinking a glass of water. Vincent's eyes trails up and down Yuffie's attire.

"You wanna take a bite, Big Daddy?" Yuffie smiles wickedly at Vincent's cringe.

"Why are you so dressed up?" Vincent asks, changing the subject.

"I could ask you the same thing." Yuffie shoots back. "You got on your contacts, hair pulled back with some bangs hanging out, nice button up shirt, jeans, and shoes."

"I'm going to a cafe to meet Tifa." Vincent places his glass in the sink.

"Finally! It's about time you went on a date!"

Vincent frowns. "It's not a date. She's just thanking me for helping her out. I was gonna ask if you wanted to join, but it seems you are otherwise preoccupied."

"Yes I am." Yuffie smiles gleefully. "I just got off the phone with Reno and he said Elena is dormant. He's taking her to a bar and hopefully he can squeeze some more info out of her. In the meantime," Yuffie grabs her purse that is on the counter and grabs her lip balm that's inside of it, and put a coat of it on her lips before returning the product in the bag and continues with her sentence. "I'm going back to the bar where I met Reeve to see if I can squeeze anything out of him."

"Finally. It's about time you went out on a date." Vincent mimics.

"Jokes on you, Douche. We haven't made plans to meet."

Yuffie shoves her tongue out at Vincent and walks towards the entrance, with a little extra sway in her hips. "How do you know he'll be there?" Vincent shouts out at her.

"It's a Saturday night and I'm sure Mr. Sheriff has had a rough week." Yuffie shouts back before closing the door behind her.

* * *

Vincent arrived at the cafe fifteen minutes earlier than the original time him and Tifa agreed on. He wanted a back booth to better observe his surroundings with his back against the wall. Nibelheim is a different town once the curfew is in effect. The older crowd keeps Nibelheim bustling and the alcohol selections are nice for such a small town. Vincent didn't expect the cafe to have wine so he opts for a bottle of red wine and two glasses. The waiter came back with the requested items and pours Vincent's drink.

"Hey Alex." Tifa's warm smile greets him.

"Hello Tifa." Vincent answers back as he gestures a glass of wine for Tifa. "Yes please! Im dying for a drink." Tifa hurriedly pulls out her ID and places it back in her bag as the waiter pours her a glass as well. The waiter nods and give the two a moment to look over their menus.

"I have your clothes in car." Tifa comments as she glances over the menu. She frowns a little when she doesn't notice Yuffie. "Where's Naomi?"

"She had a date." Vincent answers as he glances over the pasta section.

"You sound relieved." Tifa inquires as her eyes caught the panini and sandwich section of the menu.

"She's my sister. My younger sister to be more accurate."

Tifa giggles. "Can't say I understand what you're going through. I'm an only child."

"Be grateful." Vincent's tone is firm, but Tifa senses the humor in his tone.

They took a few more minutes to look at the menus and ordered their food. Vincent sips his wine and observes Tifa. As usual, she's stunning. Her hair is down and swooped over her right shoulder. She wore a bright, red blouse and black jeans. He notices that she's a little distracted about something.

"Something on your mind?"

Tifa looks away from her glass and up at Vincent. "No. Well, I mean, yes, but…..."

The waiter comes back with their food before Tifa could utter another word. Vincent decides to drop the subject for now and begins to eat his food. A few minutes went by and the door chime from the entrance catches Tifa's attention. She exasperates heavily as she returns her focus on her meal. Vincent frowns and glances at the pair that just walked in. A brunette smiles happily at her blond-haired companion, who cerulean eyes seems to be deeper than a sea. As the couple walks by, the blond haired man deviates his attention towards Tifa. His eyes met with Vincent's eyes and quickly looks away and continues to follow the hostess and the brunette to a table that is further along the same wall Vincent's and Tifa's table is at.

"Ex?" Vincent questions as he sips his wine.

Tifa sighs. First outing with this man, and exes are already the topic. Way to go, Tifa. "Man you're good."

"Your body seems tense."

Tifa nods and shakes her head rapidly. "I apologize for my behavior. It's a long story. Gaia reintroduces people in your life for a reason, though, I'm not sure why Cloud is reintroduced."

"Cloud?" Vincent questions.

Tifa shakes her head again while taking a bite of her panini and swallows before continuing. "It's not important. Besides, it's a long story. My mind have been everywhere since yesterday." She pauses to take a sip of her wine before continuing. "I feel like I'm failing in my profession."

"What do you mean?" Vincent interest is genuine. Tifa seems pretty bummed, which also shows her passion in her work.

"One of the kids is struggling with the death of his mom. She died a few weeks ago and his grades are starting to slip and so is his participation." The situation really did bother Tifa. Tyler's situation is the hardest situation she has taken on so far.

Vincent takes a bite of his salad before answering. "It's common among children when they lose their parents."

Tifa takes a long hard look at Vincent before carefully responding. "Experience?"

Vincent simply nods and Tifa continues. "I'm sorry, Alex. Anyway, he believes that someone killed his mother, even though she was found hung to death and no signs of foul play."

 _I've read that in Genensis' file._ Vincent thought to himself. His interest has really peaked with this new information. Tifa continues after she took a sip of her wine. "I had a meeting arranged with the boy and his father and the father was so empty…..so…..fake."

"You think it's a front?" Vincent questions as he shoves some of his salad in his mouth.

"Definitely." Tifa answers in a 'no doubt about it' tone. "During the meeting he was all like 'she's gone and there's nothing I can do' but not a single tear came from eyes. Didn't even come close.No passion. No shaky voice. Nothing."

"Maybe he's still in shock." Vincent replies dishonestly.

"Or maybe he killed her himself and staged the suicide." Tifa shoots back.

Her eyes grew at her words. Her wine colored eyes looks back at Vincent's off colored eyes in shock. She didn't mean for that to be said out loud and so blunt. In unison, the pair picks up their glasses of wine and takes a sip and sits their glasses back down.

"Maybe he did." Vincent finally breaks the silence. 

Tifa waves the waiter down for the check and pays for the bill, leaving the waiter grinning because of the generous tip Tifa left him. Tia exhales loudly and looks up at Vincent. She leans in closer to him and lowers her voice. Vincent mimics her motion, giving her his undivided attention.

"Cloud is a homicide detective from Midgar. He's here to help Reeve, the sheriff in this town, solve an attack on his friend that happened last week. Cloud seems to think that the murders in Midgar and the attack are connected. I don't know about the murders in Midgar, but I'm certain that the boy's father killed his wife."

"Have you told Reeve about your theories?"

"No. I can't go to Reeve with theories. I need cold, concrete evidence. Without it, he has nothing to go on."

Vincent silently agrees. The waiter came back with to-go containers and leaves the pair alone again. Tifa and Vincent both gets up from the both at the same time and Vincent motions for Tifa to go in front of him. Tifa walks out first, with Vincent right behind her. Tifa walks over to her car and opens it. She reaches inside the back seat and grabs a plastic bag and hands it to Vincent.

"Thank you for everything, Alex."

Vincent nods and notices that she is gnawing at her bottom lip. "Ask whatever you want." Vincent pushes.

Tifa smiles sweetly. "How is it that you've known me for a few days and know when something's on my mind?"

Vincent shrugs and Tifa smiles. "Yes you do know!" She playfully hit his shoulder. He is starting to get mesmerized by her smile and laugh. Tifa is truly a kind-hearted, remarkable person.

"Ask whatever you want." Vincent repeats.

"I….would love to do this again sometime…..when my mind isn't occupied."

Vincent pauses before answering. "How about tomorrow? A movie maybe? This time, I'll pay. Don't think I didn't notice you paying the tab."

Tifa smiles and playfully rolls her eyes. This wasn't a date so what's the harm, right? "I'd love that. Do you know where the movie theater is?"

"No, but I'll find my way. You pick the time and the movie."

Tifa nods, wishes Vincent a good night, and walks towards the driver's side of her car. Vincent turns and walks towards his car, but turns around when he hears footsteps approaching him. It's Tifa and she stops in her tracks when she meets Vincent's eyes.

"I know that's not your real eye color. Your red eyes doesn't scare me." When Vincent doesn't respond, she smiles softly and kisses him on the cheek before running back to her car and drove off, not even letting the engine idle.

Vincent stands still for a mere moment before heading to his car and starting it up, recounting what just happened.


	10. Baiting Him

"I'll be there as soon as possible." Yuffie taps the End icon on her phone before shoving it in her purse.

"Your husband needs you?" Reeve teases.

"My brother needs me." Yuffie scoffs playfully. "I'm sorry to cut this so short."

"Family comes first." Reeve reaches into his wallet and throws some money on the counter. Yuffie smiles as she gathers the rest of her belongings and thanks Reeve for picking up the tab.

"I'd love to see you again, whenever you're free of course."

"Maybe some time next week." Yuffie replies with a huge grin on her face. "I have to check my schedule."

"Please do." Reeve reaches into his back pocket and gives Yuffie his card. "Feel free to call me anytime."

Yuffie nods and shoves the card in her purse. She waves goodnight to Reeve before turning to make her leave. She feels a light tap on her shoulder and turns around to see Reeve. Without warning, he presses his lips lightly against her cheek and leaves, after flashing his pearly, white teeth. Yuffie returns a smile and continues to walk towards her car.

* * *

Recounting his outing with Tifa, Vincent sits in the kitchen waiting for Yuffie to return home. He doesn't notice the constant swirling motion he's doing with his wine glass. His mind is preoccupied with Tifa. He's here to complete a mission, not get caught up with some woman. E _ventually, I would like to settle down, but when?_ Vincent thought as a splash of wine hit the counter. His thoughts are interrupted when Yuffie comes into the front door. He finally takes a small sip of his wine and swipes away the wine that was on the counter.

"So I found out that Reeve is trying to tie our murders in Midgar with the attack that happened in Rocket Town a few days ago. He's teaming up with some guy from Midgar." Yuffie went to the freezer and grabs a bag of frozen mixed berries. She then went to the fridge and grabs some almond milk. She hastily throws the ingredients in the blender to make herself a smoothie.

Vincent shakes his head as the blender struggles to blend the ingredients. Yuffie always put way too much in the blender. Whether it's making a smoothie or margaritas. One day the thing is gonna blow up in her face. The corner of his lips slightly curls up at the thought.

"What's so funny?"

He could barely hear her with the blender going. He doesn't reply; he continues to sip his wine with the smirk still on his face. Once the fruit is blended to her satisfaction, Yuffie takes a cup from the top cupboard and pours the contents in it. She takes a big gulp before walking to the island and sits next to Vincent.

"Cloud."

"Huh?" Yuffie swallows, looking confused.

"That's the name of the detective Reeve's working with. He's Tifa ex boyfriend."

"Really? Scandalous! I love it."

"We have to kill Genesis soon. Tifa is on to him."

Yuffie frowns. "What do you mean?" She takes a few more gulps of her smoothie.

"She believes that Genesis killed his wife and staged the suicide."

"...That is definitely an issue." Yuffie pauses before continuing. "You don't think she was the one at the scene do you?"

It's now Vincent's turn to take a pause. He had completely forgotten about the footprints that he found the day of the attack. He is certain that he and Yuffie weren't followed, but he couldn't say the same for Genesis or Elena.

"Your silence is telling me that we're thinking the same thing." Yuffie finally speaks.

"I saw the determination in that woman. She's passionate about her career. Genesis has a son, and the boy attends the after school program that Tifa works at."

Yuffie taps her fingers on the island. "She's using her job to keep tabs on him. Hmm...this is difficult. Should we consult with Sephiroth?"

Vincent shakes his head. "No. If our cover is on the brink of being exposed, then yes."

"If our disguise is blown then we'd have to kill her." Yuffie clarifies.

"It won't come to that." Vincent quickly gets up and moves to the sink.

Yuffie arches her right eyebrow. Vincent has never acted this way in all the years Yuffie has known him. Yuffie senses a different vibe from him, though she couldn't put her finger on it. There is only one way to find out.

"You're growing fond of her aren't you?"

Vincent gulps the rest of his wine and places the glass in the sink. He keeps his back towards Yuffie as he slightly hangs his head low and closes his eyes. He has never felt conflicted in his life. For year, he's been a calculating murderer, along with Reno, Yuffie, and Sephiroth. The four of them form a tightly knit bond and catch the monsters that society have let get away, none of them taking a moment to think about their personal lives. It is something about Tifa that dazes him. Her smile, her amaretto eyes, her figure, her laugh, her personality, her determination, the list goes on. It's too early to say it's love, but the power this woman has over him is real. He couldn't deny his curiosity about her, nor did he want to admit it. Just sitting next to her puts Vincent in a trance.

"So this is why you don't want to involve Sephiroth." Yuffie finally speaks again.

"Be honest, have you thought about your personal life?"

Yuffie sits in silence. Her and Vincent have known each other since they were kids. They were practically siblings. They grew up together during the war and stayed close to each other like glue since then. Both of their parents lost their lives during the war, and together, they've faced a lot. Their relationship is completely platonic, but there are these rare moments where the two would get serious.

"Of course I have. I want to get married one day. I...honestly thought it would be to you."

Vincent snaps his head in her direction. "What?" His crimson eyes are wide.

"I know it's silly." Yuffie quickly defends as she waves her hands back and forth. "It's one of those random fantasy type things. Like, oh, we're done murdering people. Let's fall in love and get married cause there's nothing else to do in life, and it's so cliche."

He couldn't help but chuckle, and she is happy he did. "It does sound far-fetched when it's said out loud." Once their laughter subsides, he continues. "Have you ever….thought about me in that way before?"

"Honestly, not in the traditional let's fall in love and get married way. There were a few times I wanted to sleep with you though."

Vincent chokes on his on spit. "Wh-what?!"

Yuffie couldn't help but laugh. "Well, can you blame a girl?! You wear that long, jet black hair of yours then you got the nerve to be all tall and lean. Not to mention that huge package in between your legs."

"That was a long time ago!" Vincent shrieks in between coughs. Yuffie and Vincent always shared a home together, and the duo decided to get a dog for their first apartment. Vincent came out of the shower and the dog snatched the towel from around Vincent's waist, exposing his private area, and leaving Yuffie bright red and a very happy dog.

"You know, I told the dog to snatch that towel."

"I wouldn't put it past you." Vincent rolls his playfully.

Yuffie couldn't help but laugh. "But you're right, that was long ago. Refresh my memory."

She playfully gets up from her chair and jumps towards Vincent. He covers his private area and quickly turns away from Yuffie while also laughing. Yuffie doesn't put an effort to tug at his pants.

"But seriously Vince, I love you, and I don't want nothing but happiness for you. If you're curious about Tifa, go for it. You never know."

"Hm." Vincent thought for a moment and then looks up at Yuffie. "Thank you. You should do the same with Reno."

It's Yuffie's turn to choke on spit and act as if she doesn't know what Vincent is talking about. "Though I'm not a fan of his personality most of the time, I see the way you look at each other since college. Dig into it. The two of you will figure it out. Go for your happiness as well."

After her coughs ends, she looks into Vincent's eyes. His crimson eyes shows nothing but happiness and his personal blessing. She smiles and hugs her brother before releasing him.

"Let's kill this son of a bitch and move on with our lives."

"Couldn't agree with you more, Yuffie."

They high-five each other and discusses ideas with one another on how to keep Tifa safe and kill Genesis without blowing their cover and alerting Sephiroth.

* * *

"Ms. Lockhart, I'm sorry about our meeting earlier today." The husky voice surprises Tifa.

She didn't bother to look at the caller ID, mainly because she expected Vincent to schedule a follow-up movie date, but also she is getting settled in her home.

"May I ask who's calling?" Tifa asks as she places her car keys on the table. Papa is sleeping soundly in the recliner that is a few inches away from the TV. She picks up the remote and turns off the television.

"It's Genesis Rhapsodos. Tyler's father. Sorry to call at this time of night."

"Oh! Mr. Rhapsodos! Is Tyler okay?"

"Yes, but I'm concerned about him. Can we meet for coffee tomorrow morning. Say...10am?"

A smug look creeps up Tifa's face. She knows it is a front. If Genesis wants to play a game, she'll play the role of oblivious chick, and switch things up when the time is right. "Sure. Is Nibelheim Cafe okay with you?"

"Sure."

Tifa taps the end icon and tosses the phone on the counter. She lightly taps her index finger on the counter as she thought about what she said to Vincent. She knew she couldn't go to Reeve without some sort of proof. It's time for her to do some recon of her own. When Tifa was in freshman year in high school, she would always participate in high school plays and routines. Not performance wise, but she was in charge of the sound quality of every show. She kept her old equipment from those days and her old laptop that had her audio and editing software. Slowly creeping upstairs to not wake up Papa, Tifa reaches inside the hallway closet to look for her old belongings in a huge tote she stored away years go.

* * *

"This is the fifth time I've came her and saw you so blue." Reno smiles devilishly.

It was like clock work. Genesis ignores Elena and she gets drunk at the bar in Costa del Sol and cry her sorrows out. The entire situation is exhausting for Reno. He wants to just kill this blonde-haired bitch and get things over with. He has better things to do other than to woo this psycho-killing, sex-crazed chick.

"Maybe you should stop coming then." Elena bitterly replies, not taking her eyes away from her glass.

 _Bitch, you just don't know I could kill you right now, but I value my freedom so I'm not going to...yet._ Reno thought to himself as he calms himself down. Ignoring Elena's snipe, Reno continues on with the conversation.

"Why do you allow that man to do you like that?"

Elena gulps the rest of her alcohol and waves the bartender down to pour her another drink. The way Genesis has been treating her since the incident in Rocket Town has left her feeling empty, almost...needy. She turns at the young red-haired man, and observes him. The flames from the tiki torches dances heavenly inside his blue eyes.

"I wouldn't expect a kid like you to understand."

 _Kid? Lady, you tap dancing on my last nerve._ Ignoring the second snipe, Reno laughs. "I may be younger than you, but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if someone isn't treating you right, pack up and go."

Elena snorts. "You've never been in love."

For a brief moment, Reno actually feels sorry for Elena. It's amazing how people draw up conclusions about one another without looking at the full story.

"I love how you think you know everything about me. I experienced love in my life. Never got the woman. I'm too much of a screw up."

Reno sits down next to Elena and orders a long island ice tea when the bartender comes back with Elena's drink.

"Did she tell you that?" Elena asks as she took a sip of her drink.

"Nope. I told her that. I knew I was a man that she wanted, not what she needed. I had to be the bigger person and walk away because she's an awesome person. She deserved more than what I offered her."

Reno didn't expect to speak his truth to a woman like Elena. He never openly admitted that he was in the wrong to anyone, not even himself. It feels refreshing to let it out, despite how horrible it may sound. He knows he sounds like a helpless romantic, but it is his truth. Coming to terms with it and bettering himself over the years shows his progress over the years. Maybe when this is all over, he could go back to that chapter in his life.

"That's deep." Elena breaks the silence.

"It is." Reno gulps the rest of his drink down and looks back at Elena. "How about you go to the restroom and dry your tears? Then come back out here and hit the dance floor with me. Tonight, you're gonna forget about him."

Smiling, Elena got up from the bar and heads to the restroom. She went over to the sink and splash water in her face. As she reaches for the paper towels, eyes still closed, she hears her phone ring. She wipes her hands and water away from her face before reaching into her cleavage to grab her phone. Genesis' number flashes on her screen. She snorts as she sends him to voicemail before turning off her phone completely. Tonight, she's forgetting about him.

* * *

That's the fourth time Elena's phone went straight to voicemail. Genesis is beginning to get irritated with Elena. She's been ignoring his calls since last night. When he finally do get a hold of her, he will speak his mind in a rather harsh tone, and may kill her himself. Lately, he doesn't get the thrill anymore with Elena. She always wants to be in control, and she mouthed off so much that it is beginning to turn him off. When they first got together, it was always understood that he would always be the dominate one, but in recent attacks, she's slowly trying to be the dominant one.

Genesis is slowly seeing her as a weak link and something has to be done about her. His focus is now turning towards the sexy brunette that's approaching his table. She is right on time, just as they had planned together. He is sure Tifa is too smart to join in on his sexual adventures, but he could at least taste her, and if she doesn't comply, dispose of her. Maybe doing his dirty deeds solo may be good for him. As Tifa sits down, her scent hits his nose hard. She smells like fine wine and strawberries.

"Sorry I'm a little late, Mr. Rhapsodos." She tosses her jacket over her chair as she adjusts her body more comfortably in her chair.

"You're fine. Actually, it's ten on the nose, and please, call me Genesis."

Tifa nods. This man could act his ass off. "Right. So, what did you want to talk about?"

 _Such forwardness. So fierce. I have got to have her._ Genesis closes his eyes for a brief moment to contain himself. He doesn't want his amusement to show. "I wanted to tell you that I sent Tyler with his grandparents."

Tifa's eyes widens. "What? Why?!"

"His grandmother called to check up on him, and they got to talking to each other for hours. I don't know what was said, but he said he wanted to go with them for a while." Genesis thanks the waiter who places his coffee in front of him. Tifa asks the waiter to bring her a hot french vanilla coffee and the waiter walks away.

"I think my parents can reach out more to him. It sucks that I can't be the father he needs at this time in his life." Genesis hangs his head. Tifa glares at the man. _He's seriously milking this 'helpless father' routine._ She shakes her head in disbelief and stops just in time so Genesis didn't see her when he held his head up.

"Don't feel down. It may just be something his grandparents can help him with. I know when I was growing up, there were things that I could tell my grandparents that I could never tell my parents."

Genesis nods as he takes a sip of his coffee. Tifa's coffee arrives a few seconds later and she thanks the waiter. "I want to thank you for taking time out to help Tyler." Genesis continues.

Tifa takes a sip of her coffee before answering. "It's no problem. It's my destiny to help those in need. Is there anything I can help you with?"

The corner of Genesis' lips curls up. "Are you a natural flirt with all of your children's parents?"

"Only the handsome ones." She has him by the balls. Her personal documentation has officially begun. She needs him to start hanging himself.

He couldn't help but praise her boldness. She is a woman full of surprises. "I'm still grieving, but I could use the nice distraction."

Tifa smirks. "Well, I don't want to come on too strong so give me a call when you get things figured out."

She winks at him before getting up from the table and walking away with her coffee in her right hand. Genesis smirks as the waiter comes back with the bill. Never taking his eyes off of Tifa's back, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out some money. He tells the waiter to keep the change.

 _She's easier than I thought. Maybe I won't off her so quickly. But first, I have to arrange a trip to Costa del Sol._ Genesis licks his lips wickedly as he gets up from the table, not caring about people seeing his rock, hard erection.


	11. Unwanted Progress

The past two weeks flew by. Since their small dinner date, Vincent and Tifa spent as much time as they possibly could. Vincent, keeping tabs on Genesis and adjusting to life in Nibelheim; Tifa, playing cat and mouse with Genesis, while juggling time with her Papa, Vincent, school, and her job. Both of them enjoyed each other's company. Vincent learned quite a lot about Tifa. She spoke very highly about her Papa and the children she worked with at the youth center while finishing up her classes to earn her degree. Tifa learned that Vincent and Yuffie earned several properties in Wutai, Junon, and Costa del Sol. Him and Yuffie looked out for each other since they were children, especially since the war killed their parents.

Tifa is laughing at a small joke that Vincent told her while she stuffs a handful of cotton candy in her mouth. They are coming back from a small walk in the park, and Tifa couldn't fight her sweet tooth when she saw a cotton candy stand while they were on their walk. Vincent fumbles with his keys for a moment before finding the right key and opening the door, letting Tifa go first.

"Oh! Hey Naomi." Tifa is surprised to see Yuffie in the middle of the kitchen pouring herself a bowl of cereal.

Yuffie simply smiles and waves at the pair, not caring that she is currently in her underwear. When Vincent turns the corner he just rolls his eyes.

"So, you're seriously going to stand there with hardly no clothes on? In front of our guest?" He waves to a giggling Tifa.

Yuffie shrugs playfully. "We have the same things."

Tifa couldn't help but giggle as she stuffs another handful of cotton candy in her mouth. She really did love the sibling rivalry Vincent and Yuffie share. She sometimes wishes she had a sibling to playfully argue with from time to time. Vincent couldn't help but slap his forehead with frustration.

"Please put some pants on."

Yuffie snorts. "All right all right! Get your panties out of a bunch!" Yuffie's phone begins to ring as she walks away, putting her bowl of cereal on the counter.

"You two are so adorable." Tifa comments as she swallows her cotton candy.

Vincent rolls his eyes. "If you say so. Please, sit down. Would you like something to drink?"

Tifa sits down and stuffs the remaining cotton candy in her mouth. "A bottle of water would be nice please."

Vincent chuckles as Tifa struggles to speak with a mouthful of junk in her mouth. He reaches into the fridge and grabs a bottle of water and hands it over to the brunette. She smiles as a way to say thank you before chugging half of the bottle. Before she could ask, Vincent hands her a piece of paper towel to wipe her face.

"How did the two of you come to the decision to move to Nibelheim?" Tifa finishes wiping away the remaining junk food and water-like mixture away from her mouth and tossing the paper towel in the trash.

"Just needed a change." Vincent lied somewhat. "We wanted to get away from Wutai as far as we could. Nibelheim is quiet and small so we figured why not?"

Tifa smiles. "Although I'm sorry what happened to the two of you in Wutai, I'm glad you guys opted to move here." She trails off and nervously tuck away her hair.

Vincent walks up to her sitting form and gives her a small smile. Without much thought, he tucks the rest of hair away behind her ear. He stops when he realizes what he had done. He shyly lowers his head, and Tifa couldn't help the blush forming on her face. She slowly brushes away some of his stray hairs to get a better view of him.

"I didn't mind at all." Her smile made his heart leap.

"I'm sorry. I normally don't approach women and begin touching on them." He feels so embarrassed by his actions. She couldn't stop smiling at the blushing man in front of him.

She found herself taking a closer look at his facial features. His ivory skin were smooth and free of any blemishes. His hazel eyes sparkles as he slowly looks back at her wine-colored eyes. Neither one of them couldn't take their eyes off of each other.

"Take them out." Tifa whispers.

Vincent hesitates at Tifa's request. She told him a few weeks ago at the diner that she wasn't afraid of the true color of his eyes. When he doesn't move, Tifa smiles sweetly and cups Vincent's right cheek, urging the raven-haired man to fulfill her request. Vincent slowly brings his hands over his left eye and held his head back to carefully dig out the lens. Tifa waits patiently as Vincent extracts the small irritants. He places one of them on the counter and begins working on his other eye. Once he's done, he places the other one on the counter as well. He faces Tifa when he is done, his eyes has slightly reddened from taking the contacts out. Tifa is lost in a trance with his natural eye color. Red is her second favorite color, with blue narrowly beating it, but it complements him well.

Tifa's thumb slowly draws invisible circles on Vincent's cheek as her smile grew. His eyes are filled with so much fuel and passion. She stops her motions and knocks the contacts in the trash, never tearing her eyes away from his.

"You don't need those. Your eyes are so beautiful."

Vincent gives her a small smile.. "Not as beautiful as yours."

Tifa couldn't help but blush. "Are you flirting with me?"

"You started it."

"That I did." Tifa giggles. She stands up from the chair and closes the small gap between herself and Vincent. She feels his body tense up from the sudden contact. She places her hands onto his chest. She feels his muscles tense up as she begins to slowly rub him. His attraction to her is intoxicating. Tifa doesn't know what made her become so bold. She half expected him to shove her away, but he didn't. He brought her closer to him by wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Am...I holding you too tight?" He hesitates.

Tifa bats her beautiful, long lashes. "Not at all." She cups his face. Her beauty awes him. The raven-haired man of course has experience with women before, but Tifa is the first to put him in a trance. He's normally not bold like this when trying to seduce women, but he figured that's why he is so bold. Over the weeks, his interest in Tifa rose every day. There's no seducing between the two; just doing what came natural for them. He breaks away from his thoughts as he slowly presses his lips softly against hers. Not wasting a moment, she accepts the kiss, deepening it by leaning her head to the right slightly, giving him more access. The small sounds from their lips excites Vincent as his hands begins to rub her back. She smiles into the kiss and tangles her hands into his raven hair, taking note as how soft it is.

"We got a problem. I-" Yuffie stops her sentence when she sees the pair.

Like a child being caught with their hands in the cookie jar, Vincent quickly pulls away, too embarrassed to face Tifa or Yuffie. Tifa's face is flushed and she stumbles on her words, trying to form some sort of sentence to ease her embarrassment, but nothing came to her avail.

"I'm...I'm so sorry, Naomi. I didn't mean… well, I did mean to kiss him. I just-"

Yuffie waves her hand while smiling at Tifa. "No need to apologize, Tifa. Did you grab his ass cheek?"

Tifa doubles over on the counter while laughing uncontrollably. Vincent pinches the bridge of his nose. Tifa moves away from the counter once her laughter subsides.

"I'm so sorry, Naomi. I think your brother is...handsome."

Vincent turns to Tifa. "Thank you. You're quite beautiful yourself."

Tifa smiles like a school girl. Yuffie couldn't help but smile to what is unfolding in front of her. Vincent seems to be genuinely interested in Tifa, and that warms Yuffie. It is refreshing to see her play brother enjoying himself, though she feels a little bad to deliver bad news to him.

"Anyway," Tifa speaks before something happens that'll embarrass her further. "I think you mentioned something about a problem so I'll just split. I gotta make dinner for my Papa. I would love for the two of you to meet him one day."

"We'd love that." Yuffie smiles.

Tifa nods and smiles at the two before heading towards the front door. "Then we'll have to arrange a date. See you guys later."

"Nice seeing you, Tifa." Yuffie calls over her shoulder as she open the fridge to look for something to drink.

Vincent walks Tifa to her car. She turns to face him before opening her door.

"Promise me you'll keep those things out of your eyes."

"I promise." Vincent replies, smiling from ear to ear.

Tifa gives him a quick peck on the on the lips before retreating into her car and starting it up. Vincent backs away so she can put it in reverse and pull away from the driveway. She gives one final wave to Vincent and drove off. Her lips and scent put him in a spell. He didn't expect any of that to happened, but he is glad that it did happen. He has something to look forward to once this situation with Genesis was over.

He went back into the house, closing and locking the door behind him. He went back to kitchen where Yuffie is at the counter drinking a dark liquid. He frowns as he approaches her and picks up the contents and gives it a quick smell.

"Brandy?" Vincent questions as his nose crinkles and hands the drink back to Yuffie.

"Sephiroth is on his way." Yuffie sighs as she takes a hard gulp of the brandy.

* * *

"So, is there any progress?" Reeve asks his blond-haired colleague.

Cloud shakes his head in disappointment. "No. Tifa wasn't able to give me any information. I've been here for a few weeks now, and I'm still stuck."

Reeve grunts as he shoves a file away from him. "We'll find a lead soon. Let's take a rain check on this and get a few drinks."

Cloud doesn't bother to argue with the man. As he gets up, he reaches into his pocket and text Aeris to let her know that he is going out for drinks with Reeve. She is currently in Rocket Town with Amanda. A few moments later, his phone buzzes and he reads her reply.

' _Okay.'_

Cloud couldn't stop the frown on his face. Though he's grateful Aeris hasn't been complaining about them not spending time with each other. It almost seems like she is grateful that he is away so much. The odd behavior isn't sitting well with the blond at all. It's something Cloud will have to investigate at a later date. Cloud stuffs his phone back in his pocket, and walks out of Reeve's office with Reeve behind him, locking the door. Before leaving the building, Reeve tells his secretary to hold all calls, unless it pertains to the cases. The two men gets into their respective cars, and Reeve lead the way. After ten minutes of driving, the two men parked their cars and met each other on the side walk.

"Maybe Naomi will be here." Reeve speaks out loud, but the comment is really for him.

Cloud quirks an eyebrow. "Who?"

Reeve couldn't help but chuckle. "Some short-haired strong willed Wutainese woman I met a few weeks ago."

"Wutainese you say?" Cloud questions.

"She's definitely not part of the stereotype, and if you ever meet her, don't ever say that around her."

Cloud chuckles. "Thanks for the head up."

As Cloud and Reeve arrives at the entrance of the bar, the door suddenly swings open to reveal a brunette woman wearing a v-neck blouse and hip-hugging black jeans, and a fiery, red-haired man wearing a black dress shirt and slacks.

"Tifa?" Cloud is surprised to see her with a different man. The ugly green monster known as jealousy immediately hit him in full force. He's aware that Tifa is free to date whomever she wants. That doesn't mean it still doesn't hurt to see her with other men. Cloud inhales sharply, mentally checking himself, telling himself that there's no need to feel this way. He has Aeris.

"Hey Cloud." Tifa keeps her composure, trying to mask her surprise.

"Ms. Lockhart, it's good to see you."

"And you as well, Reeve." Tifa replies.

Genesis grabs onto Tifa's hips in a protective manner. Tifa is his woman to ravage, not theirs.

"May I ask who are the two of you?"

Cloud and Reeve senses the bitterness in the red-haired man's voice. "I'm Cloud and this is Reeve. We're associates of Tifa."

Cloud extends his hand for Genesis to shake. "I'm Genesis." He never shakes Cloud's hand.

"Well, you two gentlemen enjoy your night. Genesis and I have plans to for dinner. See you two around." Tifa rushes the conversation and quickly gets out of dodge with Genesis still holding onto her in a protective manner. She silently prays that Cloud doesn't bring up this manner in the future. She doesn't need any attention on herself while she pries into Genesis's business.

"Damn that guy is jealous." Reeve comments. "All we did was say hi. I can't believe he didn't recognize me."

Cloud's brows furrows. "You've met that man before?"

Reeve nods. "I was on the scene of his wife's suicide a few months ago. Maybe he didn't want to hear that tragedy on such a great night, though, it was odd when he asked who I was." Reeve shrugs. "Oh well. Let's get a few drinks."

"Yeah..." Cloud trails off, thinking about the man Tifa was with. He saw the look in the man's eyes. They were filled with jealousy and rage, perhaps? Cloud makes a mental note to dig up more information on Genesis. That man has a certain aura about him that Cloud doesn't like.

* * *

_Damn this thing is itchy!_ Reno thought to himself as he scratches at his head vigorously. The long raven hair wig he decided to wear is beginning to get on his nerves. He sits impatiently inside his car outside the hotel parking lot where Elena is staying. It took some doing, but he managed to keep Elena in Costa del Sol since she arrived a few weeks ago. After they exchanged explicit text messages throughout the day, Elena convinced Reno to meet her at her hotel to finally break the ice. Reno has other plans in mind.

He takes a quick look into his travel bag and makes sure he has all of the necessary things he needs for tonight. He grabs the solid black baseball cap and places it on his head and pulls out some black leather gloves and a black scarf to wrap around his face, only showing his eyes. Once he finishes his disguise, he looks at his phone and it reads 10:00 pm. He takes a deep breath and gets out of the car and makes his way behind the building.

Before coming to the hotel, he took some time into hacking into the security system and disabling all the cameras that would catch him. He is going through a set path and he doesn't dare deviate from it. The disguise is worn as extra precaution in case someone looks at him on his way to Elena's room. He is thankful for his friendship with Yuffie. She is the one who taught him how to do simple hacks. As she suspected, the hotel security was a joke, which made things easy for her to pass the knowledge to Reno, whom already had a simple grasp on hacking to begin with. Yuffie was able to hack everything a relay the information to Reno within an hour, and while she was hacking the security system, Reno was getting everything ready for the night.

Making sure to move as fast as he could without looking too suspicious, Reno keeps his head low to avoid eye contact with any of the cameras in case hotel security notices the cameras malfunction and put them back online. He quickly whips around a corner and heads for the stairway, going up two stairs at a time until he arrives at the fifth floor. He takes a quick glance in the hallway and opens the door when he saw no one walking in the hallway. He proceeds to Elena's room. When he reaches Room 515, he places the room key that she had given him earlier that day into the slot and enters the room.

"Elena?" Reno calls out when he doesn't see her on the bed. He calls for her again, but there's still no answer.

Frowning, he sits his bag on the bed and cautiously searches the suite. He doesn't notice anything out of the ordinary from the balcony area or any of the closets. He makes his way towards the bathroom and stops in his tracks when he notices a bloody hand print on the door frame. He slowly makes his way over to the bed to grab his nightstick, adverting his attention between the entrance and bathroom entrance. His nightstick extends with a quick flick of his wrist and he proceeds with caution. He readies his weapon and pushes the door open with little to no force. His eyes went large when he sees Elena naked on the bathroom floor bleeding from her throat profusely.

He quickly steps back, grabs his bag, and leaves the room. He moves faster than he did when he first entered the hotel. He practically run to his car when he is out of the building. He tosses his bag in the back and grabs his tablet from the passenger seat. To his luck, the security didn't have the cameras that he disabled earlier up and running and he knew for sure no one saw him. He's thankful for that. Wasting no time, Reno cranks his engine and pulls away from the hotel while frantically calling Sephiroth.

"She's dead." Reno speaks in a panicked voice.

"Good jo-"

"I didn't do it." Reno cut Sephiroth off. He exhales heavily as he stops at a red light and looked around to see if there are any police in sight. He quickly threw off the wig, baseball cap, scarf, and leather gloves when he saw that no one is watching him.

"What?!" Sephiroth is beginning to panic just as much as his red-haired accomplice.

"I don't know what happened. I met her at her at her hotel like she asked me to. When I got there, her throat was slit and she was just lying there on the floor."

Reno hears Sephiroth slam his hands on something before shifting around. "Dammit! He must've shook Vincent and Yuffie from Nibelheim and took a flight to Costa del Sol."

The light turns green and Reno begins driving. "He did a hell of a job shaking the two of them then."

"Get on a plane and head for Nibelheim. I'll send you Vincent's and Yuffie's address. We'll regroup and plan from there."

Reno quickly ends his call and pulls over to focus his attention on calling airports for the earliest flight to Nibelheim.

* * *

"How could we let this happen?!" Yuffie shouts.

Vincent stays silent for a moment before answering. "I was so busy with spending time with Tifa that-"

"Don't do that to yourself." Yuffie cuts him off. "Don't blame yourself for having fun."

"If I wasn't trying to get to know Tifa, we wouldn't be in this situation."

Yuffie scoffs. "I had a role in this too. I wasn't paying attention either." Yuffie exasperates heavily. "Sephiroth is gonna have our heads."

Before Vincent could reply, heavy knocks on the front door that echoes in the house. Sighing, Yuffie leaves the kitchen and went to go answer the door. Vincent grabs the glass bottle that contains the brandy and took a huge shot from it. Sephiroth enter in the kitchen, with Yuffie trailing behind him.

"Sephiroth..." Vincent begins to explain. He feels like an idiot. All his years of killing, he never once was this sloppy. "There's no excuse for this. I-"

"He met someone." Yuffie finishes as she walks from behind Sephiroth. "He got a little caught up with her and the mission just slipped his mind. Mine as well. I'm not letting him take all the blame for this."

Sephiroth takes a deep breath as his focus shifts between the deadly duo. He is mad, at the very least, but he could tell that they are truly sorry for losing sight of Genesis. Sephiroth turns to Vincent, whom seems to drift into space as he stares at the kitchen tiles. He observes his red orbs and never once did he see the combinations of emotions in Vincent. Embarrassment, disappointment, and dare he say, affection?

"Does this woman know about your identity?" Sephiroth finally asks Vincent.

"No." Vincent answers as he looks into Sephiroth's green orbs.

"Okay. I can work with this. Reno was able to get out of there with no hassles. He's going to call me when he's boarded a flight here. I need to run an errand."

Sephiroth turns on heels and walks towards the front door.

"I didn't mean for this to happen." Vincent calls out. It is a feeble attempt in redeeming himself, he's aware, but he feels the need to at least try to explain himself, or at the very least, soften the blow.

Sephiroth stops with his hand on the door knob. "I don't fault you for yearning for a life, Valentine. I have a special someone as well." Sephiroth calls out before walking out the door, leaving Yuffie and Vincent looking at each other in confusion.

* * *

As he walks towards his car, Sephiroth swiftly dials a number and hold the phone to his right ear as he enters the car.

"How are things with you, sweetheart?" A woman's voice always make him shudder, and makes his heart melt.

"Things took a drastic turn. The female target is eliminated, but it wasn't us."

He hears a gasp over the phone. "What do you need me to do?"

"Stick to the original plan and keep this phone close to you. Are you protecting yourself?"

"Of course I am." The woman on the other end sighs. "I wish I didn't have to keep this charade going. I want to be with you."

Sephiroth sighs. He turns on his engine and carefully drives away from Vincent's and Yuffie's home. "I know. With this new information, we should progress a little faster and get this over with."

"Seph..." It hurt him to hear the pain in her voice. For months the two of them enjoyed each other's company, but never made anything official. Sephiroth promised his lover that he would settle down with her when he was done with this mission. Personally, he didn't want to involve her, but things got personal for her when Genesis forced her to get involved.

Sephiroth makes a right at the intersection and slowly cruises down the street as he slowly approaches his destination. With his lover being undercover, he tells her to blend in and even get cozy with certain people if needed. She told him one person in particular she had to warm up to, and he couldn't be mad at her. They aren't official. That fact alone stings Sephiroth to this day. It's one of those situations where it's completely obvious that things are official, but the words were never said. It's something Sephiroth will address immediately after the mission is complete.

"Has...he touched you recently?"

"Not in a few weeks, no." She answers honestly. "He's been so involved with his work that he hasn't noticed me, and I do my best to avoid him."

"Good." Sephiroth feels a little relived. Though things weren't official between the two lovers, it still bothered him that she laid with a man to keep up appearances. The thought of another man touching her the way he touches her makes him feel jealous and powerless. He makes it to his destination, and put his car in park. "We'll finish this later. We'll be together officially soon. I promise."

He hears her smile. "I can't wait, Seph. Goodnight, lover."

"Good night, lover." Sephiroth smiles as he hang up his phone.

He gets out of his car and walks towards the front door and knocks softly on it. He yawns loudly, realizing the three hour time difference between Midgar and Nibelheim is starting to kick him in the ass. It is a little pass six so at least one of the residents should be home. The door opens and reveals a middle aged man that is more than likely in his mid to late forties.

"Sephiroth!" The man's eyes lights up as he hugs Sephiroth.

"It's good to see you again, Mr. Lockhart." Sephiroth hugs the man back and releases him. "How long has it been?"

"Since Lorraine's funeral." Mr. Lockhart replies sadly. There's a moment of silence before Mr. Lockhart speaks again. "No need to get sad now. Please, come in!"

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't sir me." Mr. Lockhart grins as he steps aside to let Sephiroth in. "And no more Mr. Lockhart. Russell will do, thank you."

Sephiroth chuckles as he steps inside the home. It hasn't changed much. He is surprised to see that there is a photo of him, Tifa, Russell, and Lorraine from a camping trip they took when him and Tifa were in the 6th grade.

"We never stopped loving you, Sephiroth." Russell comments.

"I appreciate it." Sephiroth smiles. It warms his heart to be in the home of his childhood friend and second home.

"Well, don't be a stranger! Come to the kitchen and have a drink with me. You're old enough, right?"

Sephiroth chuckles. "Of course I am."

Russell and Sephiroth enters the foyer and Russell pours both of them a white liquor. They make a toast and gulp their drinks down. Russell pours more drinks as the two men caught up with each other. Russell is so proud that Sephiroth grab the stock market by the reigns and invested in real estate, essentially becoming a money wizard in the real estate business and economics in general, just like he always talked about since he was a child. Sephiroth is so good with economics, accounting, and just money in general that he helped file Russell's taxes by the age of fifteen. A little reckless on Russell's part, but the government never contacted Russell about his taxes so all was well.

After minutes passes by, Sephiroth notices that Tifa isn't home. "Where's Tifa?"

"She's on a date. Can you believe that?"

"The Tifa I know was never a big fan of dates. She always told me that after Cloud abruptly left her, she was going to focus on school."

Russell nods, remembering how heart broken Tifa was when Cloud ended things with her. "Yeah, well, she's juggling two men. Quite the player, huh?"

Sephiroth quirks his eyebrow. "Two men?"

"Yeah. I've never personally met them, but they've both came to the house to pick her up one time. I guess she's trying to figure out which one she wants. I had to peek out the window whenever they took my baby girl away."

"Do you know what they look like?"

"Of course." Russell grins. "One of them is a tall, lean young man with long raven-hair. His eyes are a bit mysterious though. They're hazel brown but have a hue of red in them. It's the weirdest thing I've seen."

Sephiroth pauses for a moment. _Vincent…_ Sephiroth thought to himself. Vincent's red eyes are very distinctive, which is why he always wear hazel contacts to cover them up - well at least try to. Hazel is the only color that covers his crimson eyes somewhat, even though people could somewhat tell that hazel isn't his real eye color.

"And then there's this other guy with red hair." Russell continues as he takes a swig of his drink. "She just recently started going out with this guy. Short red hair that covers some of his face. He is tall and lean as well, but he is bigger than the other fellow but not by much. I honestly think she likes the raven hair fellow much more. She's spends way more time with him. I'm gonna ask her about him when she comes home."

Sephiroth's stomach lurches. His friend is in danger and neither did her or Russell realizes it. Trying to hide his uneasiness, Sephiroth gulps the rest of his drink and sits the glass on the counter.

"It has been great catching up with you, Russell, but I have to go. I'll be in town for a week or two so I'll be back again in a few days."

Russell frowns. "You don't wanna wait for Tifa?"

Sephiroth shakes his head. "No, and don't tell her I came. I want to come back with a childhood gift and surprise her."

"She'll like that a lot." Russell smiles.

The two men shake each other hands and Russell escorts Sephiroth out of the home. Russell waves Sephiroth goodbye as he drives away from the home. Sephiroth tries his best to slow his heart rate as he make his way back to Vincent's and Yuffie's home, but he is failing miserably.


	12. It Started with Him

Reno tells his cab driver to stop in front of Vincent's and Yuffie's house when the cab reaches the destination. Reno gives the driver a stack of money, not really counting it, and quickly gets out of the cab. The cab driver has a surprised look on his face when Reno leaves, but doesn't try to return the money to the younger man.

"I shouldn't have to work for two weeks." The driver honks his horn and drives off.

Reno swings his bag over his shoulder and knocks on the door. A few moments later Yuffie appears from behind the door.

"Hey Yuff. Sephiroth made it here yet?"

"Yeah but he stepped out a few minutes ago. Come in."

Yuffie steps aside so Reno could come into the house. She closes the door behind them and Reno takes a moment to look at the home. It is big on the outside and even bigger in the inside. Reno notices pictures from her and Vincent's childhood spread throughout the living room. It is a very homey touch to the home, considering Vincent and Yuffie had relocated to Nibelheim a few short months ago. He didn't expect them to settle in so well.

"It's the closet thing to home since we've left Wutai." Yuffie speaks as if she's reading Reno's mind.

The red-haired man turns to his brunette friend. "It's a really nice home. I haven't seen the rest of it and I can tell it's beautiful."

"Thanks." Yuffie gives Reno a small smile. "Come in the kitchen. Vincent is waiting for us there."

 _No smart comments? Man, this did turn for the worst._ Vincent sits at the island with four glasses filled with brandy. Sighing, Reno drops his bag and grabs a glass.

"How bad is it?" Vincent asks Reno as Reno takes a sip of his brandy.

Reno scrunches his face a little. "Ooh! This is the strong stuff." Reno pauses for a brief moment to take another small sip and sits down across from Vincent and Yuffie, with Yuffie sitting next to Vincent, but directly across from Reno. "It's bad on my end. Elena was dead when I arrived at the hotel. How did Genesis shake the two of you?"

Both Vincent and Yuffie remain silent. Reno quirks his eyebrow when he feels the tension between the two of them. "I got too comfortable..." Vincent speaks his usual monotone voice, but barely audible.

" _We_ got too comfortable." Yuffie corrects. "I'm not letting you take the fall for this." Yuffie notices Reno's confusion and cuts him off before he could say anything.

"Like I told you at the entrance, this is the closest thing to home since we left Wutai. We adjusted to Nibelheim well….maybe a little too well. Vincent and I met some people and-

"You've….you've met someone?" Reno couldn't mask the hurt in his voice.

"It isn't like that, Reno." Yuffie reassures him. "I was using him to get more information on the town. Vincent is the one who truly met someone."

"It's too early to say." Vincent intervenes.

Yuffie frowns at her platonic brother. "Are you serious right now? This is Reno we're talking to! Besides, I see the way the two of you look at each other. A blind person can tell something is going on between the two of you. Not to mention the two of you were kissing earlier today."

Before Vincent could respond, Sephiroth walks into the house. He enters the kitchen with three pair of eyes set on him. Sephiroth takes a deep breath and faces Vincent. He has known Vincent for a very long time, and even considers Vincent a good friend. The silver-haired man isn't sure how to handle the news that he's dating his longtime friend. It is nothing against Vincent personally. In fact, he thinks the two of them would make an excellent pair, but he has to be sure that Vincent's intentions with her are true.

"How far does your relationship with Tifa goes?" Sephiroth asks in a firm tone.

Reno and Yuffie looks at each other while Vincent gets up from his chair and approaches Sephiroth to stand in front of him. Sephiroth nor Vincent backs down. From the tone in Sephiroth's voice, Vincent knew that this is a matter between the two of them. Reno and Yuffie makes sure not to make a sound. Yuffie quietly sips her brandy and Reno did the same. The duo never took their eyes off of Vincent and Sephiroth.

"The day after Yuffie and I moved here, I went out to the market place. She offered me a peach and we made small talk. A few days later it was raining rather harshly, and she got caught in the storm. She showed up at the doorstep freezing. She stayed over a night."

Vincent pauses to see if Sephiroth would respond. When his emerald eyes asks Vincent to continue, he did. "Shortly after that I saw her at her job talking to Genesis, and I wanted to see what she knew about Genesis over dinner. From that night….we hung out and…." Vincent cuts his sentence short as he takes a deep breath, trying to find his words. "….I've grown very fond of her."

The world's sharpest knife couldn't cut through all the tension in the kitchen. Reno tries his best to pour himself another drink quietly. Yuffie motions for him to pour her one as well. She never takes her eyes off of Sephiroth and Vincent. Sephiroth's expression is mixed with sternness and softness. His emerald eyes glows brightly as he starts to form his questions inside his head.

"Does she know about our operation?" Sephiroth finally speaks.

Vincent shakes his head. "She doesn't even know my first name." Vincent pauses for a moment and then the realization hit him. "Tifa is the one whom you began the entire operation for."

It isn't a question; it is a statement. Yuffie couldn't help but let her audible gasp leave her body. Reno's eyes widens as he impatiently waits for Sephiroth's response. Sephiroth walks over to where Yuffie and Reno are sitting and grabs the unoccupied glass of brandy.

"That would be correct." Sephiroth answers as he takes a small swig. "Brought out the strong stuff, huh Valentine?"

* * *

****Ten Years Ago****

Sephiroth have became Tifa's personal guardian since Tifa's mother, Lorraine, was found dead in a grocery store. His friend, Tifa, had completely shut down. Her grades haven't slipped completely but her participation in class were nonexistent. The silver-haired teenager did his best to protect his friend. If anyone looked as if they were going to ask Tifa a question, he would quickly jump in and pull Tifa right along with him. Every day he would escort her to her class, making himself late in the process but it was for a great cause. He wanted to take away all the pain Tifa was experiencing and put it into his body. He hated to see his friend anguish over her mother's death.

It has been four weeks since the murder and the police couldn't find a single lead. Two weeks into the investigation, Sephiroth took matters into his own hands and did his personal reconnaissance. He couldn't stand to look at Tifa or Russell with such pain in them any longer. The Lockharts were great people, and treated him like he was their own child. He would do anything for them….anything.

Sephiroth was listening to a recording of himself as he jotted down a few notes on a notepad. He finished up a sentence when he heard a soft knock on his door. He turned off the recording and shoved the tape recorder and notes under his pillow. Frowning at the door, he told whomever it was to come inside. He knew it couldn't be his parents because both of them were at work. He was surprised to see Tifa on the other end. She held a red velvet cupcake with cream cheese frosting in her right hand. Sephiroth couldn't help but smile as he waved for Tifa to come inside his room. She ran up to him and gave him a big hug.

"It's so good to see you outside of school." Sephiroth broke away from the embrace and took a good look at his friend. She still cried at night and there were some blackness under eyes, but nowhere near as bad when they first heard the news.

"It's good to see you as well." She meant that. It was refreshing to see her friend without being surrounded by people at school. She carefully brought the cupcake from around Sephiroth's back and made sure not to get any icing on his clothes.

"You know red velvet is my favorite." He took the sweet from her hand. "What's the occasion?"

"For being an awesome friend." She couldn't help but smile when he shoved half of the cupcake in his mouth. "You might wanna get some milk."

Sephiroth nodded. "Yeah you're right. I'll be back."

Tifa couldn't help but laugh as Sephiroth smacked his lips and licked away any remaining icing on his lips. She sat down on his bed and sighed as she felt her body relax a little. It had been a rough few weeks for her. If it wasn't for her Papa or Sephiroth, she wouldn't be able to get over this bump. Her mom was just doing a typical routine: shopping in the town's grocery store picking up dinner. Some random drunk decided to hold up the meat department, and when Lorraine refuse to give up any money, the man shot and killed her point blank. Even with witnesses and several cameras, police still had a cold trail.

It bothered Tifa to no end, but as the days go by, the pain eases a little easier. Tifa placed her head on the pillow and felt something under it. She lifted the pillow and saw the notepad Sephiroth was writing on and the tape recorder.

"You weren't suppose to see that." Tifa jumped when she heard Sephiroth's voice. He drank half of his glass of milk as he shoved the rest of his cupcake in his mouth. Tifa placed the pillow back on the bed and got up from it.

"What is it?" Tifa asked but she already knew the answer. She had to hear it from the horse's mouth.

"Notes about Lorraine." Sephiroth spoke as he swallowed the cupcake. "The police is taking too long. Four weeks and nothing. I've started my own investigation two weeks ago."

Tifa was silent for a moment. Sephiroth walked over to his bed and sat down. He pulled the tape recorder and notepad from under his pillow and continued to jot down some more notes.

"Are you going to go to the police?" Tifa finally spoke.

Sephiroth stopped writing for a brief moment. "Of course. This guy needs to be off the streets."

Again, Tifa remained silent. Her weird behavior made Sephiroth very suspicious. He understood that she was going through a tough time, but Tifa had always expressed how she felt on situations, especially when situations hit close to home.

"What's up with you?"

Tifa broke out of her daze and looked him in the eyes. "I need you to do something for me."

"Okay….what is it?"

"Meet me at this address in an hour." She reached into her pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. Without another word, she left Sephiroth's room. He sat on his bed and recounted the way Tifa's voice sounded and her body language. Like him, Tifa was a very headstrong teenager. Sephiroth had known her since the age of five and it was safe to say he could tell when something wasn't right with her. Her face cracked when the detectives came by her house and told her and Russell that there were no new leads. It was the most devastating news the two could get on such a day; it was the day of Lorraine's funeral and family and friends were at the house after Lorraine's burial.

Unbeknownst to Tifa, Sephiroth watched her carefully. She would distant herself from everything and everyone, including him from time to time. He opened up the piece of paper and saw the address. He grabbed his laptop from the desk and typed the address in the search bar. He frowned when there was no photo. He began typing swiftly away on the keyboard to try to find a live feed from a satellite in space. He smiled when he found what he was looking for. The address was an apartment building that was about 25 minutes away from the grocery store where Lorraine was killed.

The emerald-eyes shot opened when he realized what Tifa was doing. He quickly jumped up from the bed and snatched his clothing and changed into an all black jump suit his parents bought him last Christmas. The clock on his desk read 7:30 and he only had 30 minutes to meet Tifa at the address. He ran down the stairs while hoping around trying to put on his shoes. Running into the kitchen, he grabbed a pen to write a small note on the refrigerator for his parents whenever they came home. All he had to do was say he was out with Tifa to cheer her up and his parents wouldn't think twice about it. He turned on his heel to go out the front door but then stopped for a split moment. He slowly turned around and opened one of the cupboards. After fidgeting around for a few moments, he found a sharp steak knife. The knife shook slightly as he tucked it away in his pocket. He was nervous but he couldn't back away from his decision now. It was much too late for second guessing. He turned and left his home.

Sephiroth arrived at the apartment complex ten minutes later than expected. He kept his head low and avoided as much people as he could. Tifa was under a street light across from the complex.

"Hey Tif." Sephiroth's silky voice startled her.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up. You're ten minutes late."

"I walked here. Didn't want to draw too much attention."

"And you walking through town dressed in all black with your head hung low isn't suspicious?"

Sephiroth snorted. "Never mind my tardiness. How did you figure out the address?"

"The bastard came to mom's candle light." Tifa didn't bother to mask the disgust in her voice. "He left a sorry-looking card behind. He just seemed so shady."

Sephiroth frowned. "How do you know if this man is the right guy?"

"This man is a sexual predator." Tifa eyes began to swell with tears. "He stupidly signed the card with his first name. He just gave off a creepy vibe so that night I followed him all the way here."

Sephiroth recounted the events the night of the candle light. Tifa did indeed disappear for a while without Russell or anyone else noticing. Sephiroth didn't even notice it until some friends from school had asked about her whereabouts. That's when Tifa's behavior had shifted. He didn't realize that his friend was doing her own investigation at the time.

"Then I looked up his first name and noticed he was on the sex offender registry." Tifa continued. "Now, I know what you're thinking 'Anyone can get on that list for a prostitution charge' but no. This is different. I then searched for recent rapes in the area and none of them were Nibelheim, but there were multiple in Rocket Town."

Sephiroth eye's widened. "You went all the way to Rocket Town? Tifa, are you insane?!"

"Keep your voice down!" Tifa shushed her friend so they wouldn't draw any unwanted attention. Thankfully no one caught on to their conversation. "I skipped school a few days. No biggie. Anyways, I managed to take a picture with my camera, and got in contact with one of the victims. I showed her the picture and she broke down."

"And this woman didn't think to call the police? Did she even wonder why you were questioning her about something so traumatic?" Sephiroth questioned.

"I told her what happened to my mom and she broke." Tifa sighed. "It was a low blow, I know, but I needed information. The cops in Nibelheim aren't built to take on murders. She said the man threatened to kill her if she told the police what had happened."

"But Lorraine wasn't raped. She was shot in the face." Sephiroth's words stung Tifa's heart. How he wished he would've worded that better before the sentence was shot out. "I'm sorry Tif. I didn't mean it like that."

"She was raped." Tifa finally spoke after moments of silence went by.

Sephiroth frowned. "What? That wasn't in the report."

"Because my dad didn't want the public to know that gruesome part. A lot of people in this town knew my mom, and dad refused to let the rape be a part of folks minds whenever they thought of her. The murder was bad enough."

"I see." Sephiroth paused for a moment as a few people walked by. "So how do you know if he's the one who did this to Lorraine?"

"We break in and look for evidence. A serial rapist gotta have trophies, right?"

"You watch way too many crime shows and movies."

"Come on. We've wasted enough time as it is." She waved for him to follow her.

If her personal reconnaissance proved accurate, the man in question should be home by 8:30. It was 8:15 and time was running out. The pair of teenagers went around the back of the complex and up the fire escape, making sure to stay out of anyone's vision. Once they reached the third floor, Tifa opened the window and climbed inside the building with Sephiroth right behind her.

"This town is so trusting." Sephiroth whispered as the two began to slowly walk down the hall.

"Says the guy who always leaves his front door unlock." Tifa snorted. "How do you think I got into your house?"

"This is the apartment." Sephiroth completely ignored Tifa's smart comment. Tifa looked around for a brief moment before pulling out a lockpick and picked away at the lock before it clicked open and she slowly opened the door.

"You sure my front door wasn't locked?" Sephiroth questioned as he quirked his eyebrow.

"Maybe, maybe not. I'll never tell."

Times like these was when Tifa really appreciated Sephiroth's friendship. Here they were, the two of them, breaking into some random man's apartment and they were making light banter. There wasn't a friend better than Sephiroth. Sephiroth closed the door behind them and immediately the two searched the apartment.

The apartment reeked of a common criminal. There was no organization in the kitchen nor the living room. There was a small box TV and a folding chair in the living room with several carry out containers thrown about on the floor. Sephiroth glanced at the dishes and noticed the filth in the sink. The dishes looked as though they haven't been cleaned in weeks. Bugs were beginning to roam the counters and several magazine were thrown onto the small dining table that sat in the corner of the kitchen.

"Let's hurry up and get the hell out of here." Sephiroth frowned at the filth.

"I'm already ahead of you." Tifa called out from the back of the apartment.

Sephiroth heard the pain return in her voice and quickly ran in the direction where he heard her voice. His heart dropped at what he saw. There were several newspaper clippings of rape victims tapped on the bedroom wall. The bastard had the nerve to have an organization to it. There were nine women in total, including Lorraine. The psycho placed a picture of the woman first with several news clippings following the picture. Each woman had their own space between the walls of the bedroom. Tifa's heart broke into two when she saw her mother smiling at her. She went over to the clipping and gingerly caressed it as if her mother was really in front of her. Sephiroth looked down in disgust. How could the police miss this guy? Was this man so average that he never showed up on their radar?

Sephiroth's thoughts were interrupted when Tifa began tearing the clippings away from the wall. She first started to tear her mother and then she went to the other women. These women deserved respect. They didn't deserved to be memorialized for this sick man's fantasy. Sephiroth made no effort to stop her. He wanted her to let out that frustration.

"This is definitely the guy." Tifa finally spoke as she ripped the last article from the wall.

Sephiroth didn't say anything; he simply nodded. The sound of keys echoed in the apartment as the new visitor closed and locked the door. Sephiroth placed his finger over Tifa's lips. _Trust me_. Sephiroth whispered and slowly backed away and retreated into the closet, leaving Tifa by herself. At first, she began to panic. Her plan was to break into the apartment and get some sort of evidence to take to the police, even if that meant getting into legal trouble herself. Breaking into someone's home was a serious offense, but if it meant bringing her mother's rapist and killer to justice then so be it.

She didn't have a plan B. She frantically looked around to see if she run into another room but it was too late. She completely forgot about the articles that she ripped away from the wall, and her moving around alerted the man that was now standing in the doorway.

"You're Lorraine's daughter." The man smirked, exposing his yellow teeth. There were a few missing as well. "What are you doing here?"

Tifa couldn't respond. She was frozen in place and her voice was completely gone. The man walked closer towards her. "I'm Harold. What's your name?"

Tears began to roll down her face. _Please do something now, Sephiroth!_ A punch or a blow to the head from behind would be nice. Tifa responded by finally moving back a little until she hit the wall. Harold was still a few feet away from her.

"Don't wanna talk huh? I like them when they're quiet. Your mom was just too beautiful to pass up. I saw her go inside the grocery store and I knew I had to have her. So I went around the back and posed as a butcher. I waited for her to go to the meat department and the rest is history."

Without thinking much, Tifa ran towards the doorway but was caught by Harold. His horrid breath made her tear up even more as he pushed up against her. Tifa knew it was a stupid thing to do, but she needed to get out of there now. Before Harold could do or say anything else, Sephiroth burst from the closet and smacked Harold's head in with a vase. The vase smashed into pieces and glass went everywhere. Sephiroth stomped on Harold's cock and pulled his rather large body up and onto the bed.

"You're fucking with the wrong girl, buddy."

Tifa had never seen Sephiroth so pissed before. She was too scared to do anything. Harold laughed as he looked over to Sephiroth. "What a pretty boy. Came to rescue your little girlfriend? What are you gonna do, huh?!"

Sephiroth's emerald orbs shot daggers into Harold as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the steak knife he brought from his home. Tifa gasped and she clasped her hands over her mouth. She also noticed that Sephiroth were now wearing black leather gloves. Harold couldn't help but cackle.

"What are you? Fifteen? Sixteen? You don't have the balls, kid?"

Sephiroth stepped a little closer to Harold. "Oh really?"

Harold's eyes shot wide open as Sephiroth shoved the blade into his trachea. He swiftly withdrew the blade and watch Harold gasp for air as blood began to run down his neck and onto his bed and clothes. Sephiroth gave Harold a smug look as he took his final breath. Satisfied with his deed, Sephiroth turned and faced Tifa, whom was still shaken by the whole ordeal. Blood slowly tricked down the knife.

"If you report me I won't blame you."

"Report you?" Tifa manged to say, though her throat was dry.

"I need you to leave now. Don't worry about me. I'll rid this place of any evidence we may have left here." When Tifa didn't budge, Sephiroth tossed the knife on Harold's corpse, got closer to Tifa, and knelled in front of her. "I'll handle things from here. Just go. Go and don't turn your head to look back. If it should come to it, I'll take the fall."

Scared still, Tifa got up from the floor and looked at her friend and hugged him tightly. She released him and thank him before running off. Sephiroth smirked at his friend and looked over to Harold's body laying limp on the bed with blood now seeping on the floor.

* * *

"It was a hell of a clean up." Sephiroth finishes his story as he places his glass on the counter. "From that day I knew I had to be a vigilante for the hurt. I spent hours in that hellhole and left when I was satisfied. Because I skipped a few grades in high school, I graduated that summer and went off to college. Though I haven't seen Tifa, we kept in touch with each other by sending letters and a few random photos of each other here and there."

"And that's where you met us." Reno speaks as he takes a sip of his brandy.

Sephiroth turns to Reno and nods. "And here we are eight years later."

"Why didn't you tell us sooner?" Yuffie asks.

"Tifa is my friend, and I will protect her at all costs. I didn't want you guys to know about certain aspects of my personal life, but as recent events have shown me, life is too short. The four of us need to have a normal life."

Dead silence. When Reno, Vincent, and Yuffie met Sephiroth at the University of Junon, they were all friends. Of course Sephiroth didn't tell the trio about him killing a man to ease his friend's pain. That was a secret he thought he would take to the grave, with only Tifa and Gaia knowing the truth. Their paths crossed whenever they went to class together. Reno and Sephiroth shared a bio chemistry class together. Vincent, Yuffie, and Sephiroth shared an economics class together. They all shared advanced physics with one another. Sephiroth cringes at the thought of the four of them burning the midnight oil in Sephiroth's dorm for that class. How he hated that class.

Two years since he murdered Harold, the police didn't connect anything to him or Tifa, and that was music to his ears. Though it was quite sloppy, Sephiroth honestly thought the only reason why he got away with it was because Harold was a low life and the police didn't want to waste taxpayers hard earned dollars on a serial rapist. From then on, Sephiroth vowed to be more careful whenever he killed again. He was so preoccupied with classes that he didn't think about murdering anyone until six women were attacked on campus by one of the campus security guards.

Yuffie would've been girl number seven if it hadn't been for Vincent, Reno, and Sephiroth intervening. Sephiroth could never forget how Yuffie stomped on the guard and spat on him when her three friends managed to get the guard away from her. The three men beat the security guard to death and they all looked at each other. Normal college students would've yelled 'Oh Gaia!' or 'What have we done?!' but instead the four of them decided to kick the creep into the ocean. Whether or not his body was discovered didn't matter to the four of them. All they knew was that the monster wouldn't be hurting anyone anymore.

Sephiroth cleaned the scene without a trace and as the days rolled by, no one on campus seemed to noticed that the security guard went missing. The girls on campus were starting to be more free and roam the campus a little after dark without feeling the need to look over their shoulder. Two weeks after the murder, Sephiroth came clean about how he killed Harold. His three friends embraced him and told their previous murder stories, and together, the four formed a deadly bond and were close to each other since. It's terrible - quite morbid, in fact - that the four of them bond over killing people, and none of them seem fazed by it.

"Vincent, I don't mind your involvement with Tifa, but do take care of her." Sephiroth breaks the silence.

"You have my word, Sephiroth." Vincent replies. "No harm will come to her."

"First thing's first: we need to get her over here now and tell her everything." Yuffie chimes in.

"Are you serious?" Reno frowns. "She may be a friend of Sephiroth but she's not going to be so accepting of us three." Reno points to himself, Vincent, and Yuffie. "Especially Vincent. The guy she's falling for kills people. I mean come one, Yuff."

"If I even have a shot at her heart then I have no choice." Vincent steps in. "Besides, she's playing a very dangerous cat and mouse game with Genesis. We have no choice."

"Spoken like a true man." Sephiroth reaches for his phone in his pocket and dials Tifa's number. "You should take notes, Reno."

Sephiroth smirks at Reno as he walks away from the kitchen to take care of his phone call. Reno, who is still frowning, looks away from Sephiroth's back and looks at Vincent. "The hell is he talking about?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Vincent's eyes darts to Yuffie before retreating away from the kitchen as well. With Yuffie and Reno left alone, he couldn't help but sigh. Yuffie slowly turns her head to Reno. He looks back at her and nervously scratches the back of his head.

"They're right. We do need to talk." Yuffie feels that it's time. They've danced around the matter far too long.

"After we tell Tifa everything, we can talk."


	13. Yuffie's & Reno's Story

Tifa is drying her wet body from the excessive amount of water on her figure. She had to quickly take a shower after her 'date' with Genesis. She could feel the perverted man undress her from head to toe. At least he picked out great restaurants to take her whenever they went out, but even that isn't enough for Tifa to continue the cat and mouse game she started weeks ago much longer. She quickly throws on a red tracksuit and begins jotting down notes from her recordings. Her plan is to gather as much evidence as she could and present it to Cloud within the next few days. She has a red folder containing Genesis's personal file, mainly on his wife's 'suicide'. The records were sealed but hacking into the computer system was simple. Hacking is a skill that she worked diligently on when she tracked down Harold's whereabouts years ago. She never mentioned that fact to Sephiroth. She doesn't want to him worry anymore than he had already done.

Hacking into Nibelheim's police system was easy but she was careful. It took some doing, considering her old laptop is severely dated, but she managed to get in, grab Genesis's file, and log out before anyone could suspect something. She made sure to use an internet connection in Rocket Town and disposed the old laptop into the river before returning to Nibelheim. She isn't sure how police procedures work, but she wants to keeps her tracks covered as much as possible. Sephiroth's right; she did watch too many crime TV shows, but what she did is illegal and she has to cover her ass. The only person in the force she could trust is Cloud. Though he would scold her, she knew he would overlook her deceit and continue her findings the legit way so when the time come to arrest Genesis, it would be legal. There's a soft knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in." Tifa calls out. She continues to jot notes down as the person walks into her bedroom. She finishes up her sentence and glances up. A tall silver-haired man stands at the door with bright emerald eyes. His smile makes his facial features look so angelic. Sephiroth brought his hands from around his back and presents a red velvet cupcake and a german chocolate cupcake.

"It's been a long time, friend." Though he is older, his voice sounds the same to Tifa. Deep and slick, just as she remembered.

"Sephiroth!"

Tifa hops off of the bed and hugs her childhood friend. Sephiroth chuckles into her shoulder as he saves the cupcakes from falling onto the floor.

"Let me take a good look at you." Tifa breaks away from the embrace and studies Sephiroth. Sephiroth always loved staying comfortable. He sports an all black tracksuit with white shoes. His silver hair always flowed flawlessly against the wind or even he's walking. It is slightly longer than last time she has seen him. His emerald eyes still stood out from any crowd.

"Now that you're done checking me out, here." Sephiroth hands the german chocolate cupcake to Tifa. She smiles gleefully and happily takes the treat. Sephiroth holds up his cupcake. "A toast to old friends." They both laugh at Sephiroth's silliness and clash their cupcakes together before taking a huge bite.

"I'm so happy to see you after all these years. Please, have a seat."

Tifa motions for Sephiroth to follow her to her bed and sit. The pair happily sits across from each while finishing off their pastries.

"It's good to be back. I came by earlier and had a drink with Russell."

"Oh that's good that you got some quality time with Papa. He also missed you dearly."

"Yeah I know. Life just got in the way, you know?"

Tifa nods sadly. "Yes I'm aware." Silence falls between the two friends for a brief moment before Tifa speaks again. "I still wouldn't change a thing about what happened that night."

Sephiroth stares into Tifa's eyes briefly before responding. "Neither would I."

"I'm forever in debt to you." Tifa reaches out and places her empty hand onto Sephiroth's empty hand. He gives it a light squeeze. Shaking his head he replies, "No you don't. Lorraine was my second mother. I not only did it for you, I did it for the other daughters who were hurting because of that monster."

Tifa nods and finishes the rest of her cupcake in silence. When they were finished, Tifa tosses the paper remains inside the trash bin that's on the other side of her bed.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" Tifa asks as she set aside her laptop and notes.

"I graduated from the University of Junon a year early. Investing money and owning real estate is my entire life."

"The look on Papa's face when you were able to do his taxes when you were fifteen was priceless." Tifa laughs at the memory and so did Sephiroth. "He called you 'Seph the Wiz' from that day on."

"I should ask him if he wants me to at least make a yearly visit to do his taxes. I'm sure he would love that." Sephiroth muses. "What about you?"

"I'm currently finishing up my online courses for my Master's. Thankfully I'll be done after this semester. I'm still working at the community center. They're such good kids there."

Sephiroth could tell she really enjoys her work. For as long as he have known her, Tifa always had a motherly love vibe about her. She always wanted to help people out, even when people didn't want to help themselves out. The needs of others always came before hers. Sephiroth would constantly scold her for not taking proper care of herself from time to time but his protests fell on deaf ears.

"And your side projects?" Sephiroth flicks his eyes at the laptop and notes.

Tifa gnaws her inner cheek before responding. "Yeah, about that…." She trails off, never finishing her sentence.

"That's what I came here to talk to you about." Tifa notices the firmness in Sephiroth's voice. Her anxiety is on a new level, and Sephiroth's facial expression isn't helping her uneasiness. "You're playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with Genesis."

"How do you know about Genesis?" Tifa questions.

Sephiroth takes a deep breath before responding. Throughout the years of contacting each other with letters and pictures, Sephiroth never spoke about his killing spree.

"Tifa….do you remember hearing about the attacks at the University of Junon? Or the man in Rocket Town that murdered his wife and two children and the police believed his innocence a few years back?"

Tifa nods and waits for Sephiroth to continue, but he never did. She clasps her hands over her lips at the realization. "That was you?"

Sephiroth nods. "I wasn't acting alone though. I've forged a bond with three other people, whom I consider dear friends. Despite our barbaric ways, we are always there for each other and we all have a common goal."

Most people would scream or shout and tell Sephiroth to leave immediately, but Tifa isn't most people. She nods out of understanding and respect. It is immoral to take a person's life out of malice, but in Sephiroth's case, he does it for people who doesn't have a voice. Society have let these people slip through the cracks long enough. Sephiroth and his other three friends are simply cleaning up the mess. Morbid and inhumane, yes, but there are a lot of people all over the Planet that would actually love to act out their impulses on the person that have caused them pain or harm at some point in their lives. Sephiroth is one of the few that has the balls to act on the urge.

"So the murders in Midgar….that was you and you're friends as well?" Sephiroth nods and Tifa continues. "And Genesis is next on your list?"

Sephiroth nods again. "He's been on our radar for a while now. He was responsible for several attacks on women for quite some time, the recent attack was in Rocket Town, which I'm sure you're aware of."

"Yes. Reeve had reached out to me for help. Genesis has a son named Tyler and he comes to the community center I work at after school." Tifa hesitates for a moment before speaking again. "Cloud has also reached out to me."

Sephiroth's eyes narrows. "And what did his sorry ass want?"

"He wanted my opinions about the murders in Midgar. He's a detective there and he's in Nibelheim working with Reeve to solve the murders."

"Have you told him anything?" Panic starts to sit in Sephiroth.

"No! Nothing important at all!" Tifa quickly eases her childhood friend. "I told him if he thinks that all the murders are all connected then he would have to have evidence, but had I known it was you, I-

"I know. You couldn't have known." Sephiroth cut in. His voice is more settle than it was a few seconds ago. "I need you to pack a bag and come with me. There's some people I want you to meet."

"Your friends?"

"Yes and bring your notes and laptop. We may use your information with the information we've gathered. Genesis has to be taken out soon. He may be on to us."

Tifa nods and begins to tear into her drawers for overnight clothes. Sephiroth excuses himself and walks downstairs and peeks into Russell's room to see his sleeping frame snoring softly with the television still on. He must've of really been tired. He went back to sleep immediately after he let Sephiroth into the home. Satisfied that Russell didn't over hear anything, Sephiroth walks into the living room and sits on the couch to wait for Tifa there. A few minutes later he hears hurried footsteps practically run down the stairs and went into the kitchen. Sephiroth hears Tifa scribbling something on a piece of paper and appears in the living room with two bags in tow.

"I'm ready whenever you are."

Sephiroth grunts and gets up from the couch and follows Tifa outside the house. She tosses her bags in the backseat of Sephiroth's car and gets in the passenger side, with Sephiroth getting into the driver's side. Sephiroth turns the engine on and carefully pulls out of Tifa's driveway.

"This is Naomi's and Alex's house…." Tifa whispers to herself as Sephiroth pulls into the driveway. Sephiroth pretends not to hear Tifa's comment and turns the car off before opening his door. Tifa follows suit and grabs her bags from the back seat. Sephiroth locks all the doors and sets the alarm when Tifa collected her bags. She nervously trails behind Sephiroth, afraid to face the truth. Sephiroth opens the door, not bothering to knock, and went inside. He turns his body and motions for Tifa to enter. She nervously obliges and steps aside so Sephiroth could close the door behind them.

When she lifts her head, her eyes met crimson eyes. Vincent sighs as he hangs his head slightly. Vincent, Reno, and Yuffie are in the living room, each holding a glass of brandy in their hands. The kitchen is the usual meeting spot whenever Tifa comes over. To see people in the living room is a bit bizarre for the brunette, which only adds to her anxiety. Sephiroth breaks the silence by walking over to the small table that is a few feet from the front door and helps himself to some brandy and pours a nice amount for Tifa. Tifa drops her bags before Sephiroth hands her a glass and walks cautiously behind him when he to walk into the living room area more.

Vincent is sitting on the cream colored sectional that is in the center of the room facing the nicely lit fireplace. Yuffie and Reno are cozy on the matching swivel chair and Sephiroth opts to sit on the ottoman that is a few footsteps away from the sectional. With no where else to sit, Tifa sits next to Vincent, who still has his head low. He couldn't face her.

"Everyone, this is my childhood friend, Tifa." Sephiroth finally speaks. The uncomfortable silence is killing him, but he doesn't blame anyone for feeling uncomfortable. He knew his group is exposed and vulnerable to Tifa, especially Vincent.

"Hey I'm Reno." Reno raises his glass and so did Tifa.

"It's nice to meet you, Reno."

Tifa flicks her eyes to Yuffie then turns her head to Vincent. "We need to come clean about some things, Tifa." Yuffie speaks up as she adjusts her body. Reno gives her a light squeeze of reassurance, which she appreciates deeply, before continuing to speak. "Naomi is my middle name. My first name is Yuffie."

Tifa nods. She already knew why Yuffie withheld from using her first name. She turns her head back to Vincent. "And you?"

Vincent sighs and turns to look into Tifa's eyes. He is surprised to see that her face and eyes are soft for the most part with a tad bit of confusion and concern. He expected her to be angry. She is so understanding. He feels even more like a fool for not coming clean to Tifa sooner, but how could someone out and say to someone 'Hey I'm a killer, and I haven't been using my real name. So, do you wanna hang out some time?' There is no appropriate way to say something like that to anyone.

"Vincent is my first name." He takes a swig of his brandy and shoots a glance away from her wine-colored eyes. He feels like a coward. He couldn't even look the woman whom he is interested in the eyes. She softly uses her fingers and force him to look back into her eyes by pushing his chin upwards.

"It's okay. I'm more understanding than you think."

Vincent nods and gives her a small smile. She returns the gesture and faces everyone else. "So, I….where do we begin?" Tifa questions.

"Depends. How much do you know?" Reno asks.

"I've know about Sephiroth's killing before he left for Junon. He killed my mother's rapist and murderer. Sephiroth tells me that you all met him in Junon."

Reno nods. "That's correct. We all had the same major and shared several classes together. We formed this deadly bound when we killed the campus security guard."

"Yes. I remember hearing about that. I also remember not hearing anything about it after a while. It's like the case just dropped off the face of the Planet."

"More like dropped into the ocean." Yuffie speaks, her voice is laced with venom. "I was almost victim number seven, but I fought him off until the guys showed up. We beat that man to death."

"I can only imagine what was going through your mind at that time." Tifa tries to reassure the petite woman. Yuffie nods and thanks Tifa for her understanding.

"We didn't wake up this way." Reno speaks again. "For me, in short, I was being beaten by my father. He was a drunk, and my mother was scared of him. She died in a car crash when I was twelve. I always envied her because she was no longer here to endure the pain, but I was grateful because she didn't suffer anymore." Reno takes a hard sip before continuing. He never spoke about his past so openly, not even to Sephiroth, Yuffie, or Vincent. His past, like everyone else, is a touchy subject.

"I've endured his shit from middle school to the end of high school. I gotten a full scholarship to Junon. For the first time, I felt free. I got a part time job at the cafe on campus. I met Yuffie, Vincent, and Sephiroth. Life was good. I would have nightmares that scared my roommate half to death, and I knew I had to end them. A few hours after the massive freshmen orientation, I traveled back home. My father was so uninterested in me that he didn't even know what college I went to or what I majored in."

Reno pauses for a moment as he takes another sip. Yuffie sees the hurt in the red-haired man's eyes. She softly rubs his back in small circles. She's certainly with Reno's bravery for finally speaking his story. Something this big can tear a body down. Though it isn't the time or place to think about her current standing with her relationship with Reno, she feels closer to him than ever before. Her tender act helps him even his anger and bitterness as he continues his story.

"When I say I traveled, I mean it literally. I had every intention on killing him as I made my way back home. The police in Kalm wasn't any help. Despite my bruises and red eyes from crying, no one helped me. The nightmares….I wanted…." He trails off as he chokes on his words.

Tifa's heart aches for him. She sits back and patiently waits for Reno to compose himself. Yuffie couldn't stop the tears from falling from her eyes. She tenderly kisses Reno's cheek and he kisses her back as a way of saying thanks. No tears fell from Reno's eyes, but Tifa could tell they are begging to be released in his eyes. They are beginning to redden and became watery.

"I wanted the nightmares to stop. I walked miles and miles on end. Hitching a ride here and there and snuck onto a boat to cut travel time. I had to be back in Junon in a few days for my official first day of school. I was a determined teenager. I wasn't surprised when I found my father slumped onto the kitchen counter passed out drunk when I returned home."

Reno takes another swig from his brandy. "When he realized who I was, he began grilling me, saying my mother's death was my fault, and I was a good for nothing son. I don't remember what else he said, if he said anything at all, because all I could remember was red. Blood was everywhere. I felt so relieved when his body went limp on the kitchen floor. I quickly stepped away from his corpse and watch the blood seep away from his body with the bloody knife in my hands. I left Kalm undetected and went to a local gas station that I went to earlier a few miles away from Kalm. I purposely left my travel bag behind a tree near the restroom area. I cleaned myself up and hurriedly made my way back to Junon. Getting back was easier since I snagged a couple of hundred bucks from my old man from the secret stash under the small table near the entrance."

It feels so damn amazing to tell his story after so many years have passed. Reno has told his friends about killing his father, but never went into details. None of them ever went into details as to why they got to that point in their lives. It was always the short version.

"I'm so sorry Reno." Tifa finally speaks. "It hurts me deeply that everyone ignored you during your time of need. If I would've known, I would've helped you."

Reno couldn't help but laugh a little. "Such a pure-hearted woman. Valentine, you better make amends with her after we finish up here."

Vincent playfully snorts as he glances at Tifa and takes a swig of his drink.

"I was lucky to have great parents." Yuffie speaks up. "The war took them away from me, and I was lonely. I missed them dearly, but Vincent was always there for me." She raises her glass to Vincent in acknowledgment. "He's more like a brother to me than a friend. The war turned a lot of kids into orphans in Wutai and the government couldn't care less in helping people get on their feet after the war. Some people pushed forward, many people faltered. That was the cold, ugly truth."

"A lot of girls turned to prostitution to support themselves. Vincent and I was lucky enough to work at the local fruit markets. We would do inventory and clean the areas up. It wasn't much, but Vincent wouldn't have it any other way."

"Damn right." Vincent utters softly. "It was hard most days, but look at us now."

"Agreed." Yuffie takes another sip of her drink. "One night I was working past my usual time. Vincent had gone home early. He was always a better cook than me and we did such a great job with managing our money that we decided to treat ourselves to some steak. Since we lived in an abandoned house and didn't have access to heat the normal way, it took a bit of time to cook meat because we had to rely on a fire, so I told Vincent to head home to get an early start. While I was walking home, some guy jumped me and tried to rob me. Losing even one dollar was hurtful for me and Vincent. The guy pulled my hair so hard I thought it was going to rip away from my scalp. I kicked that man in the balls and ran as fast as I could."

Yuffie takes a moment to compose herself. It's like opening a fresh wound. "I made it home and told Vincent everything. The fire in his eyes….I can never forget how pissed he was when I told him. He rushed out of the door, and I ran after him. I didn't expect to see the man still on the deserted road when we returned. He was standing there holding his crotch while explaining what had happened to his buddy."

Yuffie pauses again to take a sip of her drink. All eyes are on her as she continues her story. "Vincent yelled at the guy, and both of them charged towards us. Vincent knocked one of them out so easily. To this day, I still don't know how he managed to do it so swiftly. I, of course, struggled. Next thing I knew, I was staring down the barrel of a gun and then saw blood..." She trails off looking at Vincent, whom in return, stares back. "You slit that man's throat without hesitation."

"I don't regret it." The tone in his voice and body language supports his statement.

"And I'm glad you don't regret it because neither do I." Yuffie gives him a small smile. "The other man began screaming but was soon silenced by Vincent. I snapped to my senses and got up from the ground and grabbed Vincent's knife and stabbed that man right in the trachea. I don't know what made me do it. Maybe because that guy tried to rob me. I'm sure he would've done more than that if I hadn't escaped the first time. Vincent snatched his blade away from my hand and we got the hell out of there."

"And no one suspected you guys?" Tifa questions.

"Like Yuffie said, Wutai's government couldn't care less about the people who were affected by the war." Vincent spoke in a very unpleasant tone. "No one would expect a couple of street rats. We figured it looked like a typical killing in the slums."

Yuffie frowns at the thought of Wutai's concern when it came to its citizens. "We went on about our lives like nothing happened. As the weeks rolled by, we noticed that more people, girls around our age in particular, were being harassed and not one damn thing was being done about it. So we took matters into our own hands during the night when crime was high. No one ever suspected us. We studied hard while we were in school, got a scholarship to go to Junon, and the rest is history."

Tifa's body overflows with anger, sympathy, and sorrow as Yuffie's and Reno's story sank in. Sympathy, understanding, and light-hearted because they confided in her to tell them a brutal story about their past. The logical part of Tifa's brain tells her to report the four of them, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She sympathizes with these people, and if she isn't such a chicken, she would've participated in killing Harold herself so many years ago.

"Sephiroth, why didn't you try to convince me to go to the police?" She turns her attention to Sephiroth. "When I asked you if you were going to the police, you said of course. I hesitated, and I knew you knew that I hesitated. Killing Harold was never your intention until you saw me that night. Why didn't you try to sway me?"

"Because I knew you truly wanted that man dead." Sephiroth boldly responds. "That's why I brought the knife and told you to go ahead without me. Your dad was mourning the loss of your mother. I couldn't let him mourn the loss of his daughter if you were caught."

Tifa couldn't help but feel forever indebted to her childhood friend. Without a moments hesitation, he always looked out for her. Murder….such a heinous crime, but is it so wrong when the people that were murdered were monsters? Oh sure, they were someone's daughter, mother, niece, son, father, cousin, nephew, but yet and still, these people preyed on the innocent. Places like Rocket Town, Midgar, and Wutai couldn't catch every crook, and neither could the four murderers sitting in the living room, and they are slowly starting to understand that.

"And you?" Tifa asks as she places a hand on Vincent's shoulder.

Reno, Sephiroth, and Yuffie looks at one another and come to a mutual agreement to leave. "I think it's best that we split. Do you mind if we stayed here?" Sephiroth asks as he gets up from the ottoman.

"It's not a problem with me. What about you, Yuffie." Vincent asks.

"Of course I'm fine with it. I'm assuming you'll be staying as well, Tifa?" Yuffie points to the bags at the front door as she stands up from the swivel chair, with Reno following her movements.

"If that's okay with you and Vincent, yes."

"She needs to stay here." Sephiroth chimes in. "She may also have some information on Genesis. We can compare notes tomorrow."

Everyone agrees, and Reno, Yuffie, and Sephiroth retreats upstairs, leaving Vincent and Tifa alone.

"Is it that bad?" Tifa asks as she rests her hand on Vincent's hand. His response isn't immediate. Giving a gentle squeeze, Tifa smiles at him. "Take your time. There's no rush."

Vincent nods and recalls his brutal past.


	14. Breaking Down Walls

It was the best birthday any thirteen year old could ask for. Everything the young child had asked for, Vincent received. It brought joy to the Valentines' heart to see their son display a genuine smile. The bullies at school have dimmed the boy's light, but every now and then, he would show a smile so bright that it could light up a room.

"Can we have some cake now, please?"

The red-eyed boy clapped his hands non-stop as Grimoire pacified him by telling him to calm down, chuckling in between his son's antics. Liberty had gotten up from the floor and made her way to the kitchen to get the birthday cake.

"What kind is it? Ooh I hope it's vanilla! No, chocolate! No, vanilla but with ice cream as well!"

"Whoa there buddy." Grimoire chuckled. "Slow down. Just how much sugar have you had?"

"Not much." The sly look in Vincent's eyes said otherwise.

The older raven-haired man chuckled some more at his son. "You get a small piece then it's off to bed."

"Oh come on Dad." The boy pleaded. "It's my birthday! Besides, you bought me a new video game. Can't I at least play it for an hour?"

"Where did you learn how to beg like that?" Grimoire playfully questioned. "I tell you what, you can play for an hour then it's off to bed. I know it's your birthday, but your mother and I don't your sleeping schedule completely screwed up."

Vincent leaped for joy as he ran to the entertainment center to set up the television. Grimoire shook his head at his son playfully. The boy had already forgotten about the cake. Grimoire stood up from the floor and walked into the kitchen.

"Our son is such a lively boy." Grimoire said in between chuckles.

Liberty peered her head from the refrigerator with distraught in her eyes. Grimoire's smile fell when his noticed the tears in his wife's eyes. The refrigerator door slammed harshly and revealed a figure dressed in all black pointing a gun in the back of Liberty's head. The man pushed Liberty forward, causing a small yelp to escape from her lips. Grimoire instinctively raised both of his hands in the air to pose no threat to the intruder.

"Take whatever you want, but please, don't hurt my wife."

The intruder laughed murderously. "You think begging will spare your wife?"

"Hey Dad, I was wondering if we could play the racing game together?" Vincent froze when he saw his parents.

"Vincent, go to your room." Liberty pleaded as tears rolled down her face. "Everything will be fine."

"Mom," Vincent choked out. "What's going on?"

"Did you not hear your mother, brat?"

"There's no need to be harsh." Grimoire chimed in. He was scared to death. "Please, take anything you want. Leave my family alone. We won't tell a soul."

The intruder snorted. "I know you won't tell a soul."

Grimoire's eyes and he lunged forward for the intruder. Liberty's scream shot painfully in Vincent's ear as the blood was splashed everywhere in the kitchen, including Vincent's face. Liberty's body fell to the floor with a loud thud, and Grimoire grabbed the gun and began tussling on the floor with the gunman.

"Vincent, leave now and get help!"

Vincent dropped the game in his hands and ran upstairs. There was no one he could personally call. His parents didn't have family that he knew of. His father would often invite colleagues from time to time, but the young boy never paid any attention to their faces or names. He ran into this parents bedroom and reached for the cordless phone that was on the cradle. He dialed 911 and pleaded with the operator to send someone over.

The boy flinched when he heard a gunshot. Tears rolled down his face as he began to frantically look for a hiding spot. Vincent cried out loud when he heard another gunshot followed by his father's scream in agony. Another shot was heard and another shot after that. For a few seconds, Vincent didn't hear anything. He stood still until he heard that awful, yet familiar cackle, come from the kitchen. The laugh was getting closer and closer as the gunman ascended the stairs.

"I'm usually against killing kids, but you've seen my face, kid."

The gunman opened a door that led to the bathroom. Knowing Vincent wouldn't hid there, he turned on his heel and kicked Vincent's bedroom door open with his foot. The gunman rummaged through the room while Vincent opened his parents' closet and closed the door softly with shaking hands. He silently sob as he crouched in the corner. His hip hit his father's beloved rifle, Death Penalty. Vincent grabbed the deadly weapon and aimed it at the entrance.

The raven-haired boy bit hard on his bottom lip as the gunman continued to search the house for him. A yelp almost escaped his small body when the gunman entered his parents' bedroom. If he could just hold off until the cops came, he had a chance to survive.

"You got nowhere to run, kid!"

The gunman looked under the bed then behind the dresser. When he turned, his eyes fixated on the closet. Smiling, the gunman approached the closet and took aim and fired, causing Vincent to yell from shock. The gunman laughed as he shot another shot. This time Vincent was able to keep from screaming. He clutched his father's beloved firearm and waited for the gunman's face. The gunman knew he didn't hit Vincent, and knew that Vincent called the police so he had to kill the kid quickly. The murderous man opened the closet door forcibly and caught a frightened Vincent in the corner clutching a gun. Before the gunman could raise his weapon, Vincent opened fire, shooting the gunman in the chest. The assailant's gun hit the floor and shot another shot into the ceiling.

Vincent's ears began to painfully ring as he dropped the weapon and slowly crawled out of the closet. He looked over at the man who's blood was now staining the light brown carpet. Fresh tears fell from Vincent's face as he glared at the figure. He slowly knelled and pick up Death Penalty in case the man got up. The aggressor was gasping as blood painfully shot out of his mouth, his hands were clutched to his chest in a feeble attempt to stop the bleeding. Vincent quickly ran downstairs and reached the kitchen.

He dropped the rifle and fell to his knees as he saw his mother and father. They were lifeless. Their blood everywhere. Vincent painfully sobbed as he heard sirens approach the once happy home. Vincent crawled to his parents and went into a fetal position, not caring that he was lying in the blood of his parents. Police burst through the front door and immediately followed Vincent's sob. They quickly withdrew their weapons when they saw the boy curled up, achingly sobbing at his parents' murder.

* * *

Tifa doesn't know what to say. How could someone console a person after hearing that story? Doing the only thing that she could think of, she gingerly rubs Vincent's arm. She feels his entire body shudder. Reliving that painful memory is hard for him.

"I was checked into a mental hospital." Vincent clenches his hands. "They ran tests on me. Pricked and probed at my body…." He rolls up his sleeves to show the several needle marks on his arms.

Tifa traces the marks with her hands as she swallows away a lump forming in her throat. "Because I kept reliving the nightmares, they kept me sedated."

Tifa is silent for a moment. She quickly pulls Vincent into a hug. Though the motion is sudden, Vincent didn't cringe way from the sudden embrace. He snakes his arms around Tifa's now convulsing body. She sobs into Vincent's shoulders as she hugs him tighter.

"There's no need to weep for me, Tifa." Vincent murmurs. "I'm still standing."

She pulls her head away from him, her eyes are now blood-shot red from the crying. "Someone needs to cry for you. Hell for all of you! You've all lived horrible lives and not one person didn't think to embrace either of you?!"

Vincent couldn't believe how phenomenal Tifa is. Filled with so much understanding and trust. Maybe a little too much trust, but Vincent appreciates it, nonetheless.

"I didn't stay sedated for too long since the war began." Vincent points out. "The war caused a lot of government organizations close down, hence how I was able to leave. No paper trail or file was left behind."

Tifa shakes her head. "You were tossed into the world like common trash."

"I shortly met Yuffie, and we were stuck like glue since then." Vincent wants to bring some sort of comfort to Tifa. He's surprise that she is so emotional about his past.

"Wutai is such a horrible place." Tifa spits harshly. "I understand war changes the ways of life, but when a government simply neglects its citizens….it's so twisted!"

Vincent remains silent as the brunette processes her thoughts. Like the rest of his group, he never went into details about the murder, and completely neglected to tell them about being locked away in a mental asylum for several months before the war shut down the institution. Like his red-haired partner in crime, he keeps the story short and sweet when it came to his past.

He feels Tifa's body relax against his. She pulls her body away his completely and looks into his sorrowful red iris. "I need to lay down. Can you show me where the bathroom is and the room I'll be sleeping in for the evening?"

Vincent nods and gets up from the sectional. He walks over to the front door and grabs Tifa's bag. He walks up the stairs, with a sniffling Tifa behind him. He first points out the bathroom that's a few steps away from the stairs. He walks a little further down the hall and notices the immediate bedroom that is closer to the bathroom is closed. Yuffie and Vincent always left doors opened unless the room in question was occupied. He safely assumed Sephiroth is in that room and continues to walk a little further down the hall.

He walks into another spare room that had zero personality in it. Neither Yuffie nor Vincent took time out in decorating the spare rooms. It has a simple touch to it; a bed, nightstand, closet, and two windows.

"I'm sorry the room is a bit bare." Vincent places Tifa's bags onto the bed.

"It's fine. Thanks for everything."

"I should be the one thanking you." Vincent falls silent for a split second. He feels extremely vulnerable, and yet despite his painful story and inhumane ways, Tifa still stood by him and friends. He couldn't come up with a logical reason as to why.

"There's no need to thank me." She turns her entire body to face the raven haired man. Her tear-stained cheeks shines brightly under the small moonlight that peers through the blinds. "If someone would have taken a little time to care for you all, maybe things would be different. You wouldn't have to carry that darkness inside of your heart."

Vincent swallows in response and tears his glance away from her. Tifa embraces Vincent in another hug, and he returns the gesture without any hesitations.

"Thank you and goodnight, Tifa." He places a tender kiss on her forehead and excuses himself from the room.

He walks down the hall and into his bedroom. The bed creaks as Vincent threw his weight onto it. He intertwines his arms behind his head and tucked them securely under his pillow, recounting the events that have just transpired in his home in just a few short moments ago. Every is so open and honest, and Tifa didn't bat one eye. Is she really this caring? Surely she couldn't be sane herself. A part of Vincent truly believes that Tifa could have turned out like himself and his friends if it wasn't for the nurturing nature inside of her.

Like everyone that lives on the Planet, pain is a part of life. Sometimes that pain comes from a bicycle accident, other times it comes in forms of being a victim of a heinous crime. If people have the opportunity to come face to face with the person or group that was responsible for said agony, most people couldn't act out on that revenge. Revenge is a dangerous passion that most people posses. Anger and revenge complementes each other like life and death. One cannot exist without the other. It's manifested and exists because the other exists.

As Vincent turns his body to lay on his left side, his back towards the door, his thoughts overwhelms him. He try shutting his eyes to ease his mind, in hopes of sleep, but atlas, sleep never came. He isn't sure how much time has passed, but he hears a soft creak from the hallway.

"Vincent?" Tifa speaks softly and a soft knock came afterwards.

"Come in." His voice is quiet but it's just enough for Tifa to hear.

She quietly opens and closes the door and tip toes to the slender man. Vincent turns his body on his back as Tifa lays beside him on her back. She stares at the ceiling, not knowing what to say. Though it is awkward at first, the two of them fell into a comfortable silence. Their minds dances with so much curiosity with one another while staring at the ceiling. Tifa reaches for Vincent's hand and when she found it, she squeezes it lightly.

"Why aren't you running out of this house in fear?" The question burns an invisible hole in Vincent's brain.

"Because…." The brunette pauses as she chooses her words carefully. Vincent patiently waits for her answer. Deciding that honesty is the best way to answer, she replies, "I wish I could be like you all."

Vincent lay still for a few seconds. Did he hear her correctly? He slowly turns his head to face her. He is a little surprised that she's staring back at him. Though there are no lights on, he has a clear view of her face from the moonlight. So beautiful and angelic. She rolls onto his chest and gingerly rubs his face. He wraps his arm around her waist in a secure embrace, never taking his eyes away from her wine-colored eyes.

"How can a woman like you exist in this world?" Vincent murmurs into her hand as it gently rubs along his collarbone.

She smiles sweetly at him and presses her forehead against his. "I just do."

They remain that way for what feel like minutes. Vincent's grasp on Tifa's waist tightens a little as he intertwines his hand with her hand. They lay there, drinking each other's aura as the night went on. They press their lips against one another, as if they read each other's mind. Vincent couldn't allow Tifa to slip away from him. She is the beacon of light he needs that he wasn't aware that he needed until now. He held onto her curvy frame for dear life, his grip loosening slightly when he finally succumbed to sleep.

* * *

"I'm tired of avoiding this conversation with you." Reno sits down on the bed with a fresh glass full of brandy in his hands.

"So am I." Yuffie stares at the moon from the window. "So, start talking."

As Yuffie expects, the red-head is silent. They've been dancing around the subject long enough. The what ifs and what could happen if they were to pursue their affection for one another. Reno hinted at it plenty of times but never done anything about it. Her sarcastic ways and dark sense of humor always sparked a fire inside of him that he could never explain. Reno was a bit of a playboy in the past, even with his growing affection towards Yuffie, which, at the time, he denied during his early playboy days. As the months rolled by him, he admitted to himself that he did care for her more than he had let on, but he knew he was no good for her. After the hell she had been through, he refused to bring more disaster into her. He was so broken during his college days, that he turned to sex as an outlet. His friends had outlets as well; Vincent with his wine drinking and reading, Sephiroth with his writing, and Yuffie with her constant party hopping. Each one of them picked up on their habits, but no one ever pointed at their habitual behavior. They silently knew the cause.

"I've done a lot of growing up since college." Reno begins to speak as he gets up from the bed. "I always carried a torch for you, longer than I want to admit. That broken kid you met in college….he wasn't good enough for you."

Yuffie huffs as she diverts her attention from the beautiful night sky. "And who are you to make that decision for me?"

"The man that the boy from your college days grew up to be."

Reno's words shocks the short-haired raven woman. She opens her mouth, but swiftly shut it when no words leaves her mouth.

"The boy in me wanted to date you." Reno continues when Yuffie's shock slowly dissipate away. "He wanted to be your outlet, you're everything, but didn't have the means to do so. He was just as broken as you were. All he could give you was sweet nothings and dick."

Reno feels years of pinned up emotions leave his body as he outstretches his arms to Yuffie. "Now that boy is a man, and this man wants to give you everything you not only desire but what you deserve as well. There is no other woman I desire in my life."

Yuffie grabs Reno's hands when they are within her reach. She pulls his body into a warm embrace; her hands quickly wraps around his neck. Slim fingers makes the back of his hair stand up.

"With your permission, I want to court you until my time is up."

She gives the red-haired man a soft kiss on his lips, which he quickly and happily accepts. Her eyes are drenched in emotions when the two pulls away

"I'm done fighting against my love for you, Yuffie."

A tear of joy slowly falls from her right eye. "Shut up and claim me, Reno."

* * *

"She embraced them with nurturing arms, as I expected."

Sephiroth stares at the ceiling while thinking about his friends. He is more than certain that him and his friends have made it to their emotional walls. Tonight was a difficult night, but in the end, tonight's events needed happen. None of them could no longer keep that wall up.

"Sounds like a wonderful night. The icing on top would have been my presence."

Sephiroth hears the sadness in her voice. "I know. Have you managed to come up with a good excuse to leave Rocket Town without any suspicions?"

The woman on the other end sighs heavily. "No, and I think he's beginning to pick up on my odd behavior."

"No more keeping you at bay. After we come up with a plan to take down Genesis, I will call you and discuss bringing you here."

The sigh of relief lightens his heart. "I'm super excited to see you after so many months."

"You know the first thing I'm going to do to you when I get you all to myself?"

Sephiroth's smile widens when he hears the purring into his left ear. He slowly reaches for the elastic from his waistband on his sweats.

"No. How about you tell me?"

As the inhabitants finishes off their night, unbeknownst - somewhat - to each other, they all share a common goal: a fresh start.


	15. Chapter 15

Exhaustion hits every occupant in the massive mansion. Yuffie was the first one to wake up, which is quite unusual considering Vincent was always up first. She couldn't stop her hips from happily moving from side to side as she took a shower and replayed her evening with Reno over and over in her head. They put aside their fears, and became vulnerable with one another. He finally made the move that she so yearned for so many years ago. Their lovemaking was better than she thought it would be. Reno's name escaped her lips until she couldn't speak.

Smiling, Yuffie dries her body from the excessive amount of water and heads back into her bedroom where her newfound lover is sleeping rather loudly. She giggles as the red-haired man snored loudly and rolls over on his side. Shaking her head at the man, she gets dressed and makes her way towards the kitchen.

The smell of coffee greets her nose as she turns the corner and sees Tifa happily drinking a cup. Yuffie greets Tifa with a smile and makes herself a cup as well.

"Looks like everyone is sleeping in today." Yuffie comments as she pours a helping amount of sugar in her mug. Tifa couldn't help but giggle. The raven-haired woman will definitely be bouncing off of the walls all day.

"It appears so."

"We wore our men out." Yuffie smirks as she takes a huge gulp of her coffee. Tifa chokes on her coffee and the hot liquid shoots out of her nose, causing Yuffie to laugh even more.

"It's not like that, Yuffie!" Tifa manages to finally speak after her silly fight with the coffee and coughing.

"Not yet."

Tifa waves her hand and grabs some paper towels to clean her mess. Vincent walks into the kitchen moments later and greets the two women. Tifa shyly put her head down as her smile widens. Vincent went over and rubs her shoulder in a gentle way.

"Oh just kiss already!"

Tifa snorts uncontrollably while she laughed when Vincent shot his platonic sister a dirty look. He makes himself a cup of coffee as well and the three of them sits comfortably at the island in the center of the kitchen.

"I know Sephiroth and Reno isn't here, but should we go ahead and start comparing notes? My laptop and notebook is upstairs."

Vincent and Yuffie both nod. "The sooner the better." Vincent replies.

Tifa nods and makes her way upstairs with her coffee still in her hands. Vincent and Yuffie sits in a comfortable silence until Tifa returns moments later with her pink laptop and an empty mug that she places in the sink before rejoining Yuffie and Vincent.

"I hacked into Nibelheim's police system and got Genesis's file." She opens her laptop and inserts a flash drive. Her fingers glided gracefully across the keyboard swiftly as she typed and clicked away. Yuffie watches with an impressed facial expression. A woman who is an excellent hacker besides her is a deadly woman, just like her.

"I didn't have time to transfer all of my information to my laptop from my notes." Tifa comments as she double clicks on a file. "This is what I have so far." She turns the laptop towards Vincent and hands Yuffie the notepad.

Vincent silently scrolls through Tifa's notes while Yuffie scans the notepad, taking note of Tifa's impeccable penmanship. While the pair are reviewing Tifa's notes, she decides to make a quick lunch for everyone. Granted, Reno and Sephiroth are still asleep, but she is more than certain the two men would be hungry whenever they come into the kitchen. She grabs a cutting board from one of the top cabinets and looks into the fridge to see what she could cook in a short amount of time. Her eyes immediately lands on the pack of bacon then lettuce and two tomatoes. BLTs… It isn't gourmet but it'll to the trick.

Tifa turns the stove on and threw the veggies into the sink and turns on the tap. She turns her head and frowns slightly when she notices Yuffie isn't there. Vincent is too busy looking at the laptop to even care, or notice that Yuffie has left. Shrugging her shoulders, Tifa turns her attention back to the veggies. She grabs a few pieces of paper towels when she felt the lettuce and tomatoes were thoroughly washed. The sound of something being slammed onto the island made Tifa jump a little, and makes her turn to see what is the source of the noise. There is a manila folder that is now in Yuffie's hands. The short, raven-haired woman darts her eyes between the folders as she compares notes.

Smiling, Tifa grabs a few slices of bacon and neatly placed them in the now hot skillet. The satisfying noise of the bacon sizzling against the hot skillet is always a pleasant sound. Whenever Tifa was burning the midnight oil, Russell lived off of BLTs. Though he never said it, he was more than happy to have her home when Tifa decided to get a job at the community center and finish her classes online. The brunette couldn't help but laugh at the memory of how her Papa reacted when she made the first home cooked meal since she had been home. It was like he was seeing a holy grail. She makes a mental note to check in when she's done with lunch.

"I smelt that bacon all the way upstairs." Reno enters the kitchen and plants a quick kiss on Yuffie's lips. She returns the gesture, never taking her eyes off the notes. The redhead grabs a mug for a cup of coffee and notices Tifa's drying the lettuce and tomatoes. "And your cutting up lettuce and tomatoes? You're my new best friend."

Tifa smiles. "There will plenty for you to enjoy. Good afternoon by the way."

"She cooks, greets you with a smile, and have a body of a goddess. Don't let her slip away, Valentine."

Tifa's face is now flushed with a red hue. She hurriedly turns her attention back to the veggies. She cut the butt of the lettuce head and begins to cut through after cutting the head in half. Reno prepares his coffee and joins Yuffie and Vincent at the island, sitting by Yuffie.

"Have you heard anything from Sephiroth?" Yuffie asks.

Reno shakes his head as he sips slowly at the hot liquid in his hands. "Nope. He wasn't in the bathroom either. Maybe he's still asleep."

"It's bizarre for him to sleep in." Vincent comments. "However we all slept in."

"All of you needed it." Tifa calls over her shoulder. She makes a thin slice of the top and bottom area of the tomato and discards the portions in the trash. "It was a rough evening."

"Yeah." Reno agrees. "It was but things needed to be said. Again, thanks for hearing us out, especially Vincent. He's an awesome dude, despite his way."

Everyone laughs when Vincent cast a grim look at Reno. "Oh Reno. Quick picking and enjoy the rest of your coffee." Tifa says while giggling in between flipping the bacon on the raw side.

"Yes please. And make yourself useful and grab the notes from Yuffie." Vincent snaps but in a less serious tone.

Groaning, the redhead grabs the notepad and begins reading, something the red-haired man hates with every fiber in his body. The kitchen falls into a comfortable silence as Yuffie, Reno, and Vincent continues to review the notes and Tifa is finishing up the bacon. She went into the fridge and grabs a few condiments that she feel everyone would like with their sandwiches. A big bag of wavy plain chips catches her attention. A BLT isn't a true BLT without chips of some sort. She isn't sure about the rest of the group, but she love chips with her homemade sandwiches. She grabs the chips and sits them on the counter along with the other ingredients.

She folds a few pieces of paper towel on a plate and places the crispy bacon on it. Bacon is delicious but needed to be drained from as much grease as possible.

"Either this douche have a good past or he's good at covering his tracks." Reno groans. In the short time he's been reviewing the notes, his eyes are becoming criss-crossed. His attention span is the size of a gnat when it comes to reading. If it wasn't for Yuffie, Sephiroth, and Vincent, he probably wouldn't have made it through college. He hates reading that much.

"My money is on the latter." Yuffie comments as she begins to rub her eyes. She couldn't find anything useful between the file she stole from the Hall of Records a few months ago, and what's in Tifa's notes.

"I can't find anything useful either." Vincent shuts the laptop close and huffs in frustration.

"The three of you need to take a step away and eat something." Tifa suggests. "You've all been stressing about this man for far too long."

Deciding to take heed Tifa's advice, the three killers gets up from their seats and walks over to the counter and prepares their sandwiches. Vincent grabs a few soft drinks from the fridge and places them on the counter along with everything else. After everyone made their food, they all went back to the island and begin to eat silently.

Sephiroth appears into the kitchen and notices everyone's eating at the island. Tifa looks up and notices the silver-haired man looked more at peace than he did the previous night.

"Good afternoon, Sunshine!"

Everyone snorts as Sephiroth rolls his eyes at Tifa's personal nickname for him. His childhood friend never ceases to amaze him when it comes to her pet names for him. He helps himself to a soft drink and a sandwich and joins the group.

"Had any luck finding anything?" Sephiroth notices the notes and laptop in front of everyone. He casually put it aside after he sits his plate down and takes a bite of his sandwich.

"No, not really." Yuffie groans. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Except for his wife's murder." Reno chimes in after he swallows a piece of his food. "It's clear that it was a murder and not a suicide. The rope patterns clearly show that there was bruising from a pair of hands underneath it. How did the police miss that?"

Tifa shrugs. "Maybe they didn't want to believe that an actual murder happened in Nibelheim. It's kind of unheard of."

"Murder can happen anytime, any place, and anywhere." Vincent comments as he takes a swig of his soda. "No matter how nice an area may appear to be, life never stops."

Tifa sighs as she looks down at her half eaten sandwich. "I suppose you're right."

"….I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come across so brash." Vincent squeezes Tifa's hand lightly. She smiles back at him as her way of saying there's nothing to be sorry for.

"At this point it doesn't matter." Sephiroth says as he takes a huge bite of his sandwich. "We need to rid this man and quickly."

"We have no solid leads as to his whereabouts, especially with Elena's death." Reno grimaces. "I can't believe that bastard got to her before I did. He's quick and efficient."

"So let's dangle a carrot in his face….me." Everyone frowns at Tifa's suggestion, especially Vincent and Sephiroth. In Sephiroth's eyes, Tifa is his childhood friend, a sister almost. Their dynamic is very similar to Vincent's and Yuffie's relationship; a brother-sister bond that would never sever. In Vincent's eyes, Tifa is the woman he wants by his side when this was all over. Though he wishes they had met under different circumstances, he's glad that he was able to meet her. He needs her more than he's wiling to admit. There will never be a woman like Tifa. The Planet created her just for him, and he isn't going to give Genesis a chance to take her away from him.

"Absolutely not." Vincent isn't having any of it.

"I agree with Vincent. It's far too dangerous."

"What other choice do we have?" Tifa questions her childhood friend and Vincent.

Both men sits in silence. "She does have a point." Reno comments. Though he thinks Tifa's suggestion is reckless, he sees no other way to lure Genesis. "We have no way to lure Genesis and what better way to lure him out than to entice him with something, or someone rather."

"Tifa's not a piece of meat." Yuffie scolds and quickly sighs. "But Reno does have a point guys."

"Besides, I won't be alone. I have the four of you to protect me." Tifa reassures. "I know nothing will happen to me. Like you guys said, if Genesis is as dangerous as you guys say, then we need to take him out. The only problem is, how I'm going to get Reeve and Cloud off the case."

"If Genesis were to turn up dead, you don't think they would drop the case and write it off as whatever?" Yuffie asks.

Tifa shakes her head. "If Cloud operate the same way I remember him as, then he would be thorough. He's probably studying the case day and night. I'm surprised I haven't received a phone call from him about an update."

"I'll handle Cloud. We have a few issues that needs to be worked out." Sephiroth grits as he finishes his soft drink. Vincent recalls Tifa telling him about Cloud briefly a few weeks ago over dinner. From what he was able to gather, it seemed like it ended on bad terms, and Sephiroth's reaction at the very mention of the blond's name confirms his thoughts.

"And Reeve? His work is his life." Yuffie comments.

"Cloud can convince him to drop it, with the right person to guide him, of course." Sephiroth's response is dark.

Tifa gets up and places her empty plate in the sink and leaves the kitchen to call her Papa. She hasn't heard anything from him since last night. It's mid afternoon and she just wants to touch base with him to make sure he's okay.

"That's assuming we get caught in the first place." Reno resumes the conversation. "With all of us here, getting rid of his body should be simple."

Vincent's brows furrows as he became consumed with his thoughts. The only thing that gnaws at Vincent's guts is the fact that Genesis has a son. He was ripped away from his parents at such a young age that he could relate to Genesis's son. It isn't the boy's fault his father is a vicious murderer.

"What will happen to his son?"

"Shit….I don't think any of us considered that." Reno mumbles.

"I can only hope that Genesis's parents are still alive to take custody." Sephiroth speaks. "Despite this, it changes nothing."

Tifa returns to the kitchen with a rather confused look on her face. "Is everything okay?" Vincent asks when he sees the slight distress on Tifa's face..

"Papa isn't answering the phone. I've called several times but received no answer."

"Maybe he's still asleep." Sephiroth vocalizes. "It is a Saturday after all."

"Yeah but it's almost three in the afternoon." Tifa presses. "Usually he would call me if I'm not at home."

"I can drive you there. Besides, I'd love to meet him."

Tifa smiles at Vincent as she happily hugs him and kissed his cheeks. Reno, Sephiroth, and Yuffie couldn't help but be immature and let out a loud 'awwww' as they watch the newly budded couple.

"We have got to hurry up and kill this clown so the two of you can make things official!" Yuffie claps happily.

"Speaking of which, do you know if Genesis's parents are alive? Despite his ways, I feel guilty that this man has a son, and when we kill him, the poor boy will be an orphan." Vincent asks.

"Oh yeah I think Tyler will be fine." The reply is more directed to everyone. "Genesis sent Tyler to live with his parents, although, I'm not sure where."

"At least the boy is safe." Reno chimes in as he gets up from the island and takes his plate to the sink. "At least that's one worry off our minds."

"In the meantime, let's regroup after I take Tifa home."

Everyone nods in agreement with Vincent's statement. Reno and Yuffie retreats upstairs while Sephiroth went to the living room to text in private. Tifa figures she would be at the mansion for a few more days so a few more clean clothes is something she would definitely need to grab while she's at home. Good thing she is ahead of school work otherwise participating in this double life she is now living would be impossible. She runs upstairs and went into the room that she stayed in – well suppose to stay in – and grabs her two bags and quickly runs back downstairs.

She waves goodbye to Sephiroth and heads out of the front door with Vincent by her side. He pulls her gently by the arm and grabs the two bags from her hands. She smiles sweetly at him. Though they haven't verbalized that they are a couple, it sure feels like it. Vincent, despite his rough life, is a kind, caring man. Those types of men are the best to love. Badly damaged they may be, however, when they are invested in someone, they are all in. There are no doubts in their minds, and Tifa needs that in her life. She needs no second guessing, especially after how her relationship ended with Cloud. The blond never gave her the closure she needed until a few months ago. All this time she thought there was something wrong with her. Cloud is in her past, and Vincent is her future. She refuses to let Cloud's mistakes interfere with her relationship with Vincent.

Vincent tosses the bags in the backseat and gets into the driver's side while Tifa gets into the passenger's side. After buckling their seatbelts, Vincent turns his car on and drives away from his home, with Tifa giving instructions on how to get to her home. During the drive, Tifa hooks her arm around Vincent's right arm. The sudden action comforts Vincent. He haven't felt this comfortable with a woman since….ever. Not in this way. Yuffie is an exception since she's more like his sister, and never a lover. It amazes him how Tifa is able to touch him and make conversation with him, and he would answer without doubt and hesitation. The brunette definitely has an effect on him, whether he wants to admit it or not.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Tifa's home. The home screams childhood memories. The house is made of brick and has a massive cemented porch with a swing on the end of it. The pair got out of the car and approaches the front door.

"Don't be nervous. My father is an understanding man and he had seen you before."

Vincent frowns. "When had he seen me?"

Tifa giggles. "Don't be creeped out or offended, but Papa is very protective of me. One day when you picked me up, I saw him peering through the blinds. I pretended I didn't see him."

Vincent chuckles. "He's just a father watching over his daughter. I can't fault the man."

Tifa smiles as fumbles with her purse to look for her keys. After moments of finding her keys, she inserts it into the lock and opens the door with one swift movement.

"Papa!"

There's no answer. Tifa calls out again and there's still no answer. Tifa found it odd that he isn't answering. She tells Vincent to make himself at home while she went to look for her Papa. Vincent settles on standing at the fireplace in the living room. Several photos of Tifa, her Papa, and a woman, whom he assumes is Tifa's mother, smiled brightly in each photo. There are even some photos of Sephiroth with the family along with pictures of just him and Tifa. Vincent picks up one photo that contains Tifa and Sephiroth in basketball jerseys. Vincent snorts lightly as he looks at the two friends posing with a basketball in their hands. Vincent could tell that Sephiroth is very protective of Tifa, which is why he didn't lose control when Sephiroth was hesitant about his relationship with Tifa. The raven-haired man knew he would do the same if any man were to attempt court Yuffie. Reno is the only exception. He's well aware of Reno's feelings for his sister, hell, they are well aware of how they feel abut each other. It was only a matter of time before the two got tired and confessed their feelings.

Vincent jumps when he hears Tifa's scream. He nearly drops the photo on the floor. He quickly places it back on the fireplace and runs into the direction of Tifa's sobs. He pushes the door open and sees Tifa sobbing on her knees. His eyes quickly found the source of her anguish, his eyes fills with rage.

* * *

"How's the progress coming?" Aeris asked her blond-haired lover.

Cloud sighed as he continued to look at the crime scene photos that he was able to obtain from the evidence locker. "It's coming along. How's Amanda?"

"She's doing good, though I haven't heard from her in a few days. I think I'll go call her."

Cloud didn't respond. He continued to study the ligature marks on Genesis's wife's neck. His brows furrowed as he brought the photo closer to his face. He noticed that there were bruising underneath the ligature marks, which was odd. He shuffled through the papers in the file and found the address that was recorded at the time of the suicide.

* * *

"She isn't answering." Aeris walks back into the bedroom area of the hotel room. When Cloud doesn't respond, she rolls her eyes. Sometimes she couldn't believe how dense Cloud is at times. "Maybe I should drive by and check on her."

"Huh? Oh yeah sure. Whatever you want to do, do it."

 _You sure you want that because I wanna slap you right now._ Aeris angrily thought as she grabs her keys to the rental and leaves the hotel room, slamming the door behind her. Cloud frowns at Aeris's odd behavior. He waves it off and put it on the back burner. He figures she's upset with him because they were still in Nibelheim after their initial agreement. Angeal gave Cloud and Aeris the okay to stay in Nibelheim and assist Reeve until the murder was solved. Barret had everything under control since Cloud's absence. What turned into a small vacation, turned into nothing but work out of Midgar, which didn't sit well with Aeris. He knows she wants some alone time with her, but he couldn't commit to that right now. When he catches a break, he'll celebrate with her. Until then, he needs to focus.

Cloud types the address in his phone, grabs his keys, and heads out the door. Since his visit in Nibelheim is now a business trip, Midgar accommodated him with two rental cars. At first, two cars were a bit unnecessary, but Aeris would go to Rocket Town and visit Amanda a lot since Cloud is too involved with his work to spend time with her. He sighs at the thought as he gets into the car. He knows he's neglecting Aeris. Before driving away from the hotel, he shoots Aeris a quick text before driving away. It isn't much, but he wants her to know that he's sorry and he does want to spend time with her.

Twenty minutes later he is at Genesis's residence. Cloud concludes that Genesis still lives in the home. The lawn and hedges appears as if they are tended to routinely. He decides to park across the street and a few feet away from the home. He doesn't want to draw too much attention to himself. His cerulean eyes widens when he notices that there is no car in the driveway. Cloud quickly picks up his pace and went to the rear of the home and to the back door. He looks around before pulling a lockpick out of his pocket and swiftly picks the lock. He closes the door behind him and locks it. He would have to move fast since he doesn't know when Genesis would return home.

According to the photos, his wife's body was found at the entrance hanging from the chandelier. At first, Cloud is a bit confused. A hanging from a chandelier is a bit of an odd choice. Doubts and confusion dissipates when he enters the entrance. The ceiling is a little lower than what it appeared to be from the outside. Cloud glances at the photos and then at the chandelier. He notices the chandelier is slightly pulled out of the ceiling. More than likely from holding dead weight for an unknown amount of time. Consistent but he still isn't convinced.

Peering through the blinds to see if Genesis is pulling into the driveway, Cloud begins to walk up the stairs. Maybe Genesis keeps a keep sake in his bedroom? A shot in the dark but it's worth a shot. His phone rang when he makes it halfway up the stairs. He answers without looking to see who it is.

"Yeah?"

"Cloud, I need you to come to 1234 Nimble Street immediately." Reeve voice is uneven. Sirens pierces the blond's ears. His heart sinks. It may have been a long time since he's been to the house but he could never erase that address from his mind.

"What's wrong?" The blond swallows hard.

"There's been a murder."


End file.
